


CornFlower

by duolingodropout



Category: The Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 23:34:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16106108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duolingodropout/pseuds/duolingodropout
Summary: As the bloody reign of Mortmain continues, the young adults of the London Institute are sent to Wales to protect the Herondales. But with scandal circling the group, protecting the family doesn't seem to be as easy as it was before. Relationships that shouldn't exist, ideas that may be true, and a heartbroken mother who is trying to get her son back may all be too much.YOU CAN FIND THIS ON MY WATTPAD: @autosexualbean. EXACTLY THE SAME!! COPY AND PASTED.





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My sister](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+sister).



“Do we have to do this?” Will Herondale asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. Gabriel glared at the boy and kicked him in the shin. “Yes, we do,” he snarled. “None of us want to do this. Men who leave being a shadowhunter shouldn’t have visits or protection from the Clave. They made their decision.” Jem quickly chimed in, saying that he was very excited for the trip they were taking, but Will glared at him making the boy sulk back. Jem and Tessa seemed to be the only people happy going to Wales. 

A few weeks ago, Will Herondale, Tessa Gray, Jem Carstairs, Sophie Collins, and the Lightwood brothers were told that they were going on a mission in Wales. Mortiman had been going around the world, torturing former shadowhunters and their families for information about the Clave. Weak Spots and things that could tear them down. After he got what he wanted, Mortiman slaughtered the parents and left the kids injured, cutting out their tongues to never tell the story. The group was going to stay with Will’s family, to protect them. Will’s father was one of the more recent people to leave, so he probably knew the most.  It was only supposed to be the men, but Tessa demanded that she went along with her fiance. Will argued with her, saying that it wasn’t safe, but she didn’t listen. She was Tessa Gray. She never listens. So, Sophie was sent along to help Tessa get dressed and not be the only woman on the trip. And now they were off to see Will’s family. 

“That mountain, right there,” Will said, pointing to a large mountain outside the window. “It’s called Snowdon. My family used to go and take picnics at the base of it because of the calmness of it. Birds would sit near us and just sing while we ate. My sisters and I would try to climb it, but we always ended up getting hurt.” He paused for a bit, smiling at the faint memory. “Ella vowed that she would be the first woman to climb it. All the way to the top. Just her and the wide open valleys that lay at the bottom. Ella wanted to climb up, so that she could tumble back down and swim the the lake… She loved swimming in that lake.” Jem’s eyes widened. Will never talked about his family, and he did… in front of the Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood, the two people he hated most. “Who’s Ella?” Gabriel asked. Will stiffened up instantly, probably just realizing what he had done. 

“No one,” the raven haired boy snapped. He clenched tight to his jacket, which was resting in his lap. “None of your- nevermind. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just a mountain. No significance to it. Just a big pile of rock.” Gabriel looked at him a bit before he went back to reading his book,  _ An Inland Voyage.  _ Jem continued rehearsing what he would say when he finally got to meet his parabati’s parents. Will had rarely talked about them, so he was interested to meet them. And Gideon, well he was half asleep while mumbling something in spanish. Even his brother didn’t know what he was saying, it was that fast and fluent. Will simply looked out the window again, taking in the wide valleys of green. 

It had been so long since Will had been able to take in a view like this. Since he was 12 years old, he had been looking out of his window into the dull world of london. The cobblestone usually wet with the rain. The people below are monotone colours, no longer holding joy. They have to get to work. It wasn’t like that in Wales. In Wales, women wore bright colours and the men were proper. They didn’t hollar at the girls as they walked by. Everyone was happy. Or at least that’s what he remembered. London could never beat Wales in his mind. 

The window between the men and their carriage driver opened. “Almost there, boys,” the scottish man yelled. “Get ready.” Charlotte had decided that she was going to send Cyril with the girls to keep them safe and feeling comfortable. She got one of the carriage drivers from the Scotland Institute. This driver’s name was Lucas and he wasn’t exactly the nicest. He was abrupt and had even called Tessa a desperate whore at one point. Jem gave him a talk afterwards, saying that she was a woman who he should try to give a little respect. He was technically working for her after all. After this talk, he only talked to the Lightwoods. Petty.

Will sucked his breath in, knowing he was about to see the people he abandoned during a time of grief. Turned away when they followed him back to London. Will still felt bad for it and knew that there would be some people who still held grudges. While his parents would be happy, overjoyed, to see him again, he was more concerned about Cecily. His little sister, who he loved more than anything and promised that he would come back one day, would be holding the grudge. She would probably shun him for a day or two. Nothing too long. 

The carriage came to a sharp halt, throwing all of the men forward into each other. They had arrived to the Herondales home. Will could see the estate in the distance, and it wasn’t his home. It was a tan brown colour with a black roof and four chimneys. It had three floors in total, all having windows that went to ceiling to floor. There was a large field before the gate, which held in a beautiful spread of flowers. While it wasn’t his childhood home, he saw the cornflowers and felt safe again as he knew his mother was there and safe. 

“Welcome home brother,” Jem said, pushing the newly awakened Gideon off of him.

  
  



	2. Black and Silver

Will stood at the daisy coloured door, not wanting to knock. It stood over him, hauntingly, the silver dragon door knocker seeming to glare at him. The group had been standing around him for the last ten minutes, trying to make him knock. But he refused. He wasn’t ready to see them. He wasn’t ready to see her. The one person who he had stayed alive for all of these years. On late nights, when he considered just jumping out of his top story window of the Institute, knowing that his life wasn’t going to get any better, he would remember her. Remember that he had promised her that he could come back. When he was older and safer to be around, he would come back. He didn't want to see her because he knew she would be mad. Mad that he left her in a time of hurt, mad that he didn’t come back when he said he would.   
    “For the love of god,” Tessa blurted, stomping past her fiance and knocking on the door. “I’m not getting any younger sitting out here. In fact, I’m being eaten alive by bugs.” Everyone gave a sigh of relief, even the Lightwood brothers.  Will’s throat closed up, both nervously and angered. He loved Tessa, he was the light of his life, but she could really piss him off. But, despite her short temper and irritating qualities, he loved her and was still getting married to her in a month.   
    The copper doorknob turned, swinging the door open to a towering man with blonde hair and the most vivid baby blue eyes. He had broad, muscular shoulders and arms, high cheekbones, and a jawline so sharp that it could have cut through glass. Faint, spider web-like scars littered his skin, showing through the collar of his shirt. Gabriel could surprisingly still tell which were which. Healing runes, silence, agility. Behind him stood a short, petite woman who was only a few inches taller than Charlotte. She had long black hair that had been harshly pulled back into a bun and the softest blue eyes that made you feel safe when looking into them. She couldn't have been much older than the man, maybe a few years older. She had skin almost as pale as Will, yet she was slightly more tan due to the strong Welsh sun. But she obviously hadn't been the sun for a long time. Her eyes were slightly sunken in, bags forming underneath to show her lack of sleep.  
 "Hi dad," the boy choked out, visibly trying not to cry. The blonde man took no time to pull his son into an embrace, who welcomed it. It had been so long since this had happened. Since he could feel his father hugging him. Threw him back to the years that he used to run around with his sisters and his father would have to tickle him to get inside to eat lunch. The woman, his mother Linette, ran into the hug, wrapping her thin arms around him. Just as he had imagined it for years. He had dreamed since the day he left that he would come back home and find his family. And they would run out and hug him, just like old times.   
 After a few minutes of hugging and a little bit of crying and talking, the three straightened up and looked around. "So, these are the friends that Mrs. Brandwell's letter told us about?" his father said, motioning to the group behind him. Oh! Will had forgotten everyone else was there. "Um, yes..." Will turned around and motioned aggressively for everyone to come forward. "These are the Lightwood brothers. The blonde one is Gideon and the brunette, the ugly looking one, is Gabriel." The youngest of the two shot him a look before going forward and shaking both of the parent's hands. "Lovely to meet you both," Gideon said, before pushing his brother forward into the house where Linette was motioning to go. "This is the maid at the Institute, Sophie Collins. She is the only reason that I am still alive. None of us would be able to do anything without her," Will said, helping the older woman up the steps to greet his parents. To her surprise, neither one of them batted an eye at her scar, acting as if it simply didn't exist. Yet, she carried on and simply said hello to both of them before following suit of the brothers.   
 "This is my closet friend and my parabatai, Jem Carstairs." Edmund Herondale's face went a little cold, but it was quickly shaken off when the boy went to meet them. He seemed to be kind and knew his welsh fairly well, greeting them both in the language. "And this, mom and dad, is my best friend and amazing fiance, Tessa Gray." Tessa shuffled forward, making sure she stayed close to her fiance. She was afraid of messing up, as most people should be when meeting their future in-laws. "Hi," she said before shaking both of their hands. "If you don't mind me asking, do you have any runes? I don't see any," Will's father asked as she shook his wife's hand. She looked back at Will, who simply shrugged. "No, I don't have runes," she said as she inched her way into the house. "I'm not a shadowhunter." With that, she rushed her way in, not wanting to explain at the moment if she was a mundane or not. To be honest, all she wanted to do was lie down.   
 "You're not marrying a shadowhunter," his father repeated. "Does that mean you'll be coming back? Live as a mundane?" Will shook his head. "It's complicated," he explained. "Tessa is part of a new species of downworlder. The Clave doesn't know what to do about her. We have a deadline of a month, as we'll be marrying in June. So, maybe yes, maybe no." Will patted his father on the back and hugged his mother, then strolled in to join all of his friends. Edmund simply looked at his wife in shock. 

* * *

  
 Jem had to be helped down onto the couch as he had been struggling with basic movements for the past couple of months. He had to become more dependent on his cane, had to get help to sit down and stand up, and it worried Will. Jem couldn't fight anymore because of his trouble of picking the swords up. "So," Linette said, "I'll run and get Cecily from the attic. She's recently made it her calm space. She'll be happy to see you all." With that, the older woman ran upstairs. That got Will's heart racing. Cecily. She would be coming down and he would see her again.   
 "So, Mr. Herondale," Gideon said, taking a sip of water that Will's mother had given everyone. "I'm curious. What was Will like as a child? Was he calm or a pain?" Edmund looked up from his lap, a slight smile on his face. "Will? Oh, he was a great child," he said. "He always seemed to be curious about everything. If there was something to learn, he would search until he knew every last detail." He sighed out, saddened. "Just like his sister, Ella. I was afraid that they would kill themselves trying to understand something."  
 "Will always stuck to his sisters, kind of like a magnet," he went on. "I can remember when they would roll down the hill in our old home. If Cecy or Ella got hurt, he would freak out. Scared that they would be beyond repair." The sound of two pairs of light footsteps caused the man to stop talking. It wasn't long before Linette came in with another petite woman, much younger than she was. No older than 16, she held herself in a high manner with tightly held shoulders and having a straight posture. Her eyes seemed to be held in a low position as she examined the room with all of the unfamiliar people, but they soon widened as they landed on her brother.   
 "Gwilym Owain?" she asked, slowly walking towards the other. Her eyes were already watering and turning into a bloodshot red. "Cariad," he said, standing up and taking both of her hands into his larger ones. "  
daethoch yn ôl?" she said, pushing herself into a hug. Her arms wrapped around her brother's slim waist, holding him tight as if he was about to slip through. "Of course I did," he whispered. "I wasn't about to leave you hanging."  
 While everyone else was more concerned with the siblings seeing each other after 5 years of separation, Jem and Gabriel were too distracted by the beautiful girl with pale skin and cornflower eyes.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is up guys. Quick enough to write another chapter during class while I was bored. This isn't as good as I could make it, but hey. Not anyone is going to read it, so might as well just put half effort into it until people are actually interesting.  
> JKJKJKJK. I'm gonna try to get better at this. I hope you enjoyed the second chapter.


	3. Heart and Soul

    "So you're telling me," Cecily laughed, "that Will would walk around all night doing nothing? And then he would make up these crazy stories of a drunken night that never actually happened? Oh, that is William alright!" The girl curled over laughing, throwing herself onto Jem. "Yeah!" he chuckled back, putting his hand on her shoulder. "My favorite is the story of Six-Fingered Nigel. He was the pick-pocketing midget at the pub."This caused the girl to irrupt into an even louder fit of laughter. Jem felt happy he was able to make her laugh.

The group of shadowhunters had only been in Wales for a week or two, and Jem had already wiggled himself into becoming part of the Herondale family. they were all very sweet and were all very accepting of him. He was mostly concerned with Will's little sister, Cecily, liking him though. There was a silent feud between him and another man for the affection of the young girl. He and the other man fought through giving her small gifts and complementing her. The more Jem made her laugh, the more he knew he was winning. He wasn't going to lose. It was either her loving him or her loving Gabriel Lightwood.

"Will, when he was younger," Cecily hiccupped, trying to muffle down her laughter, "used to replace the coffee grounds with dirt from the garden. Mom and Dad couldn't tell the difference between the two until they actually took a sip!" Every story that Cecily told only made Jem wonder, even more, why his friend left in the first place. Edmund and Linette gave Will all the love in the world and he still just got up and left. It made Jem a bit mad. He would have never left his family, especially if they loved him with this much love. Cecily had assumed it was because of Ella's death, but he didn't think so. It had to be more than that.

"May I join?" a voice said, making the two look up. It was Tessa. She was in the doorframe, standing in her nightgown. Apparently, the Herondale's didn't care if the women walked around in their sleepwear. Her hair was in a messy top knock, falling out into her face. "You finally decided to wake up," Jem teased as she sat down next to him. Tessa hadn't been feeling so good, kind of under the weather. Nausea, swelling, lack of appetite to name a few. Everyone was concerned that she had fallen ill. Linette had even called a doctor, who said that she was most likely pregnant. But everyone pushed that off, knowing that Tessa couldn't get pregnant. And Will kept insisting that they were waiting until marriage, which was the biggest lie that any of the other shadowhunters had heard.

"I woke up a while ago, actually," she mumbled into his shoulder. "But then I didn't feel so good. Linette has been giving me all of these herbal supplements to help. She still thinks that there is a chance that I could be pregnant with her grandchild. So, I went to her and then my ankles started to swell for no god damn reason. So she made me soak my feet in this horrible smelling liquid. So that was fun." Cecily chuckled before patting Jem to move over, which he did without a word. The girl scooted forward, sitting closer to her future inlaw. "There is no possible chance that you could be pregnant?" she asked. Tessa shook her head. Of course not! There is no way on this earth that she was pregnant.

"This is a stupid conversation," Tessa said. "I've told all of you time and time again that there is no way I could be pregnant. Will always pu-- never mind. You don't need to know that. Especially you, Cecy." Jem knew what she was going to say and he was glad she didn't say it. He was still not over her. Well, he was but there were still parts of him that loved her without control. The rest of him went to Cecily: heart and soul. "You're right!" Cecily agreed happily. "We should talk about your wedding that is going to happen in only a few weeks. What's the plan?" Oh god, Jem thought. This is all he had been hearing about for the past three months. He was getting tired of it.

"Well, our plan is to have Gideon get us married," Tessa explained. "Apparently he got ordained a while ago for some reason. He offered to give us a mundane wedding since we can't get a shadowhunter wedding. Kind of grateful for that. Will wanted us to get married near Cadiar Idris."

"What are you going to wear? A pretty, white dress?" Cecily asked, curious.

"Oh, heavens no," Tessa laughed. "I'm going to be wearing a baby blue dress. Will loves me in that colour, so I thought I should wear it."

"Flowers?"

"Roses."

The girls went on for a couple of minutes, Tessa explaining that they weren't going to have a traditional wedding. Simple. No one there, just the two of them. Will's parents wouldn't be there, only Jem, Will, her, and Gideon. Jem wasn't going to miss their tiny wedding. Not if the world was ending the streets were flooded with blood. "No, we aren't going to have doves fly out when we kiss," Tessa laughed, thinking that the question was ridiculous. "Will and I don't want things flashy. I remember when I was younger and I wanted a big wedding. I wanted it to have all of the flowers and the aisle. I wanted it to be in the church that my parents got married in. But now, after everything that's happened over the past year, I'm not so sure I want all of that anymore. That flash of a wedding would just pull away from the reason that we were actually there. I told Will as soon as we got engaged that I wanted the smallest wedding possible. I just wanted to be married and I wanted to be married to him."

Cecily smiled. She couldn't wait to be that in love. She could tell just by the simple things that Tessa made her brother happy. Will seemed to smile more when he was around her. Laugh more and joke more. She would walk in on them talking about books a lot of the time. They were meant to be.

_________________________________________________________

"Pam ddim?" Linette asked her son. "rydym am fynd!" She was getting mad at Will because he said that he didn't want his parents at his wedding. "Mom," he tried to calm her down. "We just don't want a lot of people there. We are trying to keep it simple. This is just to make it 'legal' in a sense. When everything blows over, we'll have an actual wedding! You, Dad, and Cecy can all come to that one." Linette rolled her eyes and wiped her hands off on the towel that was pushing into the hem of her apron. Will was her son and she wanted to be there when he got married, but he apparently didn't want the same.

Pushing her black hair out of the way, she went up and help her son's hand. "Darling, getting married is an important thing," she said, finally switching to English. He knew that it was going to be an important talk if his mom is speaking in English. "So is the night of the wedding. That is a very important time. It symbolizes the start of your life together as a couple. If you-"

"MOM!" Will yelled, retracting his hand back with disgust. "I'm not going to speak of this matter with you! I wouldn't even have this talk with Father. I know what to do, Mom!" Linette smiled, knowing that it would make her son uncomfortable. In her opinion, you aren't truly a mom until you can make your kids cringe. That was her type of humor, the embarrassing kind that mainly comes up when friends are around. No, it was worse when the friends came around.

Will missed this. He missed the jokes from his family. His father and mother had some of the best humor in the world, and he missed that the most in the colorless city of London.

   

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was more of a filler chapter. I'm not to proud of it and it isn't that eventful. The next chapter is going to be Will and Tessa's wedding I think (no promises). I've just been going through a writers block recently. School has been draining. Anyways, I really hope you'll be willing to keep reading!


	4. Solar Eclipse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't do chapter summaries. Read, bitch, read.

The loud chiming of the grandfather clock echoed through the hallways, waking up Gideon Lightwood from a pleasant dream. As he looked to his left, he found that the woman who usually laid beside him was not under the covers. Sophie, his love and his world, was instead getting ready in front of the tall mirror that was hung against a wall. "Why are you up so early?" he asked, sitting up. The blankets that were pushed up to his shoulders slid down his torso, exposing his scar-covered body. "You don't have to work today. You can just sleep in." Sophie didn't stop her movements as she tightened her corset just a tad bit more and slipped into a beautiful pastel dress that Cecily had given to her as a welcome gift. The colour was different to her, almost foreign. All of her dresses at home, all of the dresses that she had ever owned, were darker colours such as navy blue and black. "I can never sleep in, you know that Deon. As soon as the day hits at four o'clock, I'm up!" She popped at the last letter, making him giggle. He truly did love her, with all of the nicknames she gave him and the funny ways she said things.

"Now, get up," Sophie demanded. "Martha is going to be here soon for me to help her get Tessa and Miss Herondale dressed." Martha was the Herondale's maid, who took no time in having the other woman help in the work. No one could blame her, though, as she did just have more people thrown onto her. She would need all the help she could get. Gideon groaned, not wanting to leave the warm cocoon he had made under the covers, and slid out of the bed and threw on yesterday's clothing. After a quick kiss, he hurried out of the room only to slam into a figure outside of the door. Both fell down with a loud thud. Sophie slammed the door closed, as to make sure that the other person wouldn't know she was also there in the room. Looking up, he saw a head full of brown locks.

"Gabriel?"

The boy looked up. "Gideon?"

"What are you doing up at this hour, little brother? You should be asleep."

"I was just a little hungry. Went to go get a snack. What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I was just a little hungry. Went to go get food."

The two boys stared at each other for a couple of seconds before walking past each other, never breaking eye contact. Gabriel was the first to look away from the long gaze, running into his room and locking the door. I wonder where he really was, Gideon thought. It took him a few more seconds before he started on his way to his rarely used bedroom. It really only had one purpose, and that was to hold all of his belongings. The curtains were drawn back giving the man a view of the countryside. The sun was only starting to rise, giving the formerly black sky the softest pink glow. Only a sliver of the sun had come out from hiding behind the mountains and hills. There were many more hours before the day came.

* * *

"Good morning everyone!" Linette chirped happily in a thick Welsh accent as she sat down."How did everyone sleep last night? Good?" Will, Jem, and Tessa all nodded, obviously well rested. The two brothers, on the other hand, were basically falling over and onto their plates. They both had this dazed look in their eyes and dark circles. Linette hummed in understanding. "Cecily had a restless night as well," she explained. "She had fallen over last night and she got a few bruises. I'm having her lay down a bit longer just in case she hit her head."

Gideon looked at his brother, who only replied with a shrug. The older knew something was up. Over the past week or two, he had actually gotten pretty close to Cecily. He considered her a good friend at this point. And so he knew that Cecily hadn't just "fallen". She had great balance and a pretty good knack of seeing in the dark. She was meant to be a shadowhunter. And, now that he thinks about it, Gabriel shouldn't have been up so late. Gideon knew that it was circumstantial, but he knew that something was up.

"So, Mrs. Herondale," Tessa says as she rubs her eyes. "How is having children? I've always wondered, and now I can never know with recent knowledge that I have come to accept. Was it horrible or was it just another part of your day? I've heard it's horrible and painful." Linette sat with her head resting on her shoulder, thinking for a couple of seconds. It had been so many years since she had carried a baby and had a little baby to take care of, she had to think for a couple of seconds. She couldn't remember all of it clearly. "William was definitely the easiest baby," she laughed. "And he was the easiest child. He was always smiling and laughing. Ella was the hardest to carry. She gave me the worst back pain..." Again with this Ella girl, thought Gideon. People always talked about her and they never told him who she was. "... pregnancy and motherhood all depend on the child or children you had, I believe. I was a blessed woman to have great children who all love me very much. They have all been pains in my arse but they're my babies. I can't hate them."

Will smiled, be proud of the fact that he was the easiest child for his parents. "I would love to stay and talk, Mrs. Herondale," Jem said, pushing his chair out and standing up. "But Will and I have to go out to the city to buy a few things for me. Silly James, I left a couple of things that I need back in London so we have to go and see if we can find them." Gideon and the other guests knew what he was actually talking about. The two men were going to the drug den that they all saw a couple of miles down the road. Linette and Edmund were still in the blue about this. They thought that Jem's paleness and silver traits were because of some spell that Magnus Bane put on him. The raven-haired boy nodded before getting up with this friend. The two hugged the ladies good-bye and found their way out, leaving the women and the Lightwood brothers.

"That reminds me," Gabriel says, breaking the silence that lingered for a couple of minutes. He rubbed the napkin against his lips and stood up, grabbing his brother's collar. "I need my brother's help with a decision I have to make and report to the clave within the next week. So, if you don't mind, I'll be stealing my brother and leaving." Without waiting for an answer, he dragged the older boy into the hallway. As soon as he knew that the other couldn't hear the two talking, Gabriel collapsed into a ball against the wall. "Will and Edmund are going to kill me," he wheezed out. "I am going to die. One of them is going to find out and kill me. I told her that it wasn't safe with her father and brother around. But she didn't listen. Of course, she didn't listen, she is a strong headed woman. She told me that they wouldn't notice. But they noticed.  They fucking noticed. And now I'm screwed. And now I'm screwed. What should I do?" His face was turning the darkest, most panicked red that the oldest had ever seen on his face.

"Gabe, you need to calm down," Gideon said, grabbing onto his brother's shoulders. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Who is 'she'? Why are you going to die?" He whipped the tears off of his brother's eyes, helping him up. His brother did this a lot. He panicked and would think that something would happen to him. He was always a paranoid mess. Gabriel was known for making the worse of every personal situation. "It's Cecily Herondale," the younger mumbled. "We've been seeing each other while no one is home. But last night- oh god. Everyone was home. I was just going to say good night. It was a full moon and I know that she loves full moons, so I was pointing it out. It was her idea! She had never done it before. Gideon- I had never done it before."

"It's okay," Gideon said, holding his brother in a hug gingerly. "No one will hurt you, I promise. And no one will find out if you don't say anything about it and try to be more aware." Gabriel shook his head.

"He already knows.

* * *

 

"Will, darling, can I talk to you?" Tessa asked, sitting down on their bed. It was the softest bed she had ever slept on, and Linette had told her it was the softest bed in the house. Her fiance turned around halfway through changing. "Yes, of course," he replied. Will threw himself onto the bed at sat next to her, holding her hand in his. "I've been thinking a lot," Tessa started. "And I've been talking to Sophie a lot... and your sister... and your mom. This hurts me because our wedding is so close and both of our spirits are so high and ready for it. So it hurts me to say this. I don't want to have a small wedding anymore. I want our friends there. I was Charlotte and Henry there. Your family. Mangus has to be there. They are all important to me and I want them to be there. They should all be there."

Tessa looked down, thinking she had angered Will. But she hadn't. She made him happy. Will didn't care about the wedding, if it was big or simple. He didn't care about a cake or a church. He cared if Tessa was happy. And she was going to be happy with a big wedding. So a big wedding they would have. "That's fine," he comforted. Will didn't think that he had ever seen Tessa be scared that she made him mad before. "I'll tell Gideon and we can start shopping." She looked at him concerned directly into his eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked. "We would have to push back our wedding a couple of months at least. And it would be expensive." Will shrugged his shoulders. They were getting married. And everyone who is married should make compromises or agreements to make the other person happy. Will loved Tessa so much and he wanted her to be happy.

"Now, does this mean you're getting a dress?" he asked. "Because I don't like white wedding dresses. They make me sad." Tessa laughed, squeezing his hands. His face was hilarious. Will looked like a child pouting. "Heavens no," she giggled. "I will never wear a white wedding dress. It washes me out. I'll be wearing blue. You can even choose the shade you want." Almost like a kid given candy, the boy's face snapped up and smiled.

"Oh, I'm so special."

"Yeah, and not in a good way," Tessa teased.

Will gave a fake offended look, pressing his hand against his uncovered chest. "My, Miss Gray," he scoffed, "you are so cruel to me. I am truly hurt. I thought you loved me. But alas, you have proven that you have not. I should just leave." He went to stand up, trying to bring the idea that he was going to leave. Tessa knew what she had to do, this happened quite a bit. "No!" she cried, throwing herself on top of him. "Please do not leave me, Cyw." It was kind of funny. No, it was absolutely funny. Tessa couldn't help herself from bursting into a bigger fit of laughter as he looked down at her with the cutest little pout on his face. The love of her life was a fool. A beautiful, sweet fool. And she was so happy to be with him and call him hers.

"Sorry to break the sweet moment," Linette yelled as she barged into the room. "But Jem and Gabriel are trying to rip each other's faces off at the moment. We don't know why. We thought that they could be grown men and deal with a problem themselves, but blood has been drawn. So, we kind of need you right now, William."

* * *

The group rushed into the library to see the once calm boy and a bloody-faced man wrestling each other. Jem had obviously cut him on the side of the face, as there was a large gash that was gushing a crimson liquid. And Jem was covered in it, even though there wasn't that much out already. His sleeves were stained at the ends, and a stain of it right over his left peck. They both had this fire in their eye like they had no intention of stopping until the other one was dead. And if Jem had that type of look in his eye, they knew that something bad was going to happen if the two didn't get separated right now. But they knew he wasn't going to. Not if he had the chance to rip the head off of Gabriel.

"James, you need to stop!" Will yelled as he went to grab his friend off of the man. With a lot of struggling, pulling, and a large scratch down Will's forearm, he was able to pull the silver-haired boy up. The two were panting. Jem's pupils were dilated, only a sliver of colour seen. It was almost like looking at the solar eclipse in his eyes. His once pale skin was now flushed red and had scratches and tiny cuts from the fight he was having. He didn't look good one bit. Will was grabbing him by the shoulders while still being able to hold his wrists tight enough to make sure he wouldn't pounce on the Lightwood. Gideon was already dealing with his brother, which meant he was treating a would while scolding him.

"Everyone needs to take a minute and have a breather," Tessa yelled, making sure that both boys were okay. Well... not dying. Gabriel obviously was not fine. But he had gotten a rune, so his cut was healing back up. Jem already had his mouth open, ready to defend himself, but Tessa put a hand up to him. "I don't want to hear your excuses. I don't want to hear any excuses or your so-called 'explanations'. I don't care who was in the 'right' or who was in the 'wrong'. And I sure as hell don't care about who started this. All I care about is for you guys to remember something important. That three amazing and kind people let us into their home and lives. They have given us a home to stay in, food and water to keep us strong, and a bed to let us sleep in. And, I swear to god, you guys seem to show no respect of that by starting this little fight inside of their home! Now, you guys need to end this bullshit, that's right I can cuss too, right now or else I am going to lose my god damn mind!"

She turned and started Jem right in the eyes. "I expected so much more from you, James Carstairs," she told him. "I thought you were above this behavior." And with one more menacing look, she spun on her heels and faced Gabriel. She had a scowl plastered onto her face. "And you," she said coldly. "You just seem to have this silly little habit of fighting my friends. And I'm getting sick of it. I would suggest breaking that habit real soon." She was done with men and their stupid need to fight. Why couldn't they just be civil? And not starting fighting. Almost all of the wars were started by two men who just needed to compare and one got jealous.

"You chose the right one," Gideon laughed. Will only smiled. He knew Tessa was the best one. No one in his eyes could beat her.

"Thank you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, I finally posted chapter four. Sorry that it took me so long. I've been dealing with school and also dealing with sickness. I hope you liked this. The end gets a bit choppy and I apologize. But I actually don't entirely hate this chapter.


	5. Automaton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly do apologize for taking so long to put up this next chapter. There was a family emergency and school is crazy. I have this journalism piece and a queer theory paper. I am actually kind of proud of this. Just wait for the next chapter, I have it all planned out and now all I need to do is actually write it. It's going to have so much tea to spill. But I hope you enjoyed. Hang in for the next chapter.

"How about wine?" Gabriel asked Linette as he passed her two bottles of wine. Recently, Cecily had been asking to go out and do something... anything. Everyone was getting restless, really, because they were all stuck in the house. Gabriel was also restless, so he had decided to take Cecily out on a little surprise picnic to help her get out of the house. She didn't know what was going to happen. She thought that they were going out with Tessa to go dress shopping for her wedding, maybe go look at flowers if they had the time. There was no way that they were going anywhere near the town. Tessa wasn't even feeling good. She had recently put on a couple pounds, so everyone was getting concerned as to why saying that it happened so fast and so much was gained. So she wasn't going anywhere except her bedroom to the doctors' office.

   "Yes," Linette said, looking at the two bottles, trying to choose. "Take white, she likes it more. She thinks that red wine is too bitter and gross. I would also suggest you packing some biscuits. It tastes really good if you dip them in the wine." Gabriel smiled and nodded, taking the wine from her and turning around to look for the biscuits. Will told all of them that they were probably still kept on the top shelf. The group soon learned that the only reason that they were there in the first place was that he would continue to sneak and eat them in the middle of the night as a child. "I find it quite cute that you're willing to take Cecily out on a little picnic," Linette said as she went and grabbed the food from the new hiding spot. "Had to hide these again. Anyways, your willingness to do something so kind for my daughter makes me very happy. You are very cute together. A young couple in love. It's a beautiful thing."

   Gabriel's head snapped her way, blood rushing into his pale cheeks. He was starting to look like a tomato, which made the woman want to laugh. "You misunderstand, Mrs. Herondale," he stammered. "I have no inten-"

   "Don't lie to me, darling," Linette laughed. "There's no point. Cecily told me a few nights ago. She's never been one for keeping secrets. At least, keeping them from me. I know almost everything you don't want my husband and son to know about." Oh god, he thought, she must know everything then. "She speaks very fondly of you. It's adorable. She speaks as if you are Romeo and she is your Juliet. You remind me of me and Edmund when we first fell in love. Except, you didn't come here by choice to follow a young maiden." So much of what the older said went right through one ear and went out the other. But one word did stick, just one word: love. Gabriel had always wanted to fall in love. And he had tried many times, courting many women. But they all ended up leaving him because he was afraid of doing something wrong. He was nothing like his father. He was scared to have sex because he didn't want to do it wrong and he didn't want to rush anything. He was afraid of saying "I love you" too early in a relationship because he didn't want to seem desperate or clingy. It was different with Cecily, though. She made him feel like he was doing everything right. When they slept together for the first time, neither of them knew what to do, so it made it even more special. A relationship that was born from laughter and awkward moments. He felt... good about himself.     "Let's just hope you keep making her happy," Linette teased, bringing him back to reality. "I'm starting to like your company around the house." With that, the two finished up packing, adding biscuits, berries, apples, and a couple of slices of cake from the night before. The older woman was a life saver. He would have brought so many foods that Cecily hated if it wasn't for her. He also learned what to not talk about when he was around her. Don't talk about politics, she can get very heated. Never talk about ladies of the night as she is willing to fight until the end of time about them making a choice and that they should be allowed to do what they want with their body. Many others, mainly involving the shadow world, but Gabriel was pretty sure it was only because Linette didn't want her daughter leaving.

   Gabriel hid the basket under some of the other trunks that were still hooked up to the back of the carriage. He wanted to hide as much as he could from her to keep the surprise going. It would be more fun that way. "That's a lot for a couple of hours of shopping," a strong, yet sweet voice joked. Cecily, looking as stunning as ever in a yellow dress that was covered by white lace and a white shawl, walked over and leaned against the side of the carriage much as a man would. Her long hair was held in a tight french braid whose end was slung over her left shoulder and running to her waist. The look was simple, minimalist, and she looked wonderful in it. "Though, I am curious about something," she went on. "How are we planning on going shopping if Tessa is ill and staying home?" Fuck, she noticed. He was hoping that she wouldn't. Gabriel didn't worry, though. He could think of something quick, that was most of his job anyway.

   "Tessa gave me a list," the older fibbed. "She is wanting us to get some samples so she can still plan a little. You know, work from home." Yeah, that totally sounded legit. He wanted to hit himself in the face. Cecily raised an eyebrow, not truly believing him, but still got into the carriage. She had a gut feeling they were going to do something that wasn't shopping at all, but she trusted her lover to not do something that would hurt her in any way. Gabriel was a man of many surprises, as she had come to learn, and they were never bad. The man squeezed himself in, his knees touching hers as they were both tall people. And the room they had inside of the carriage was a tight fit. Linette probably did that on purpose.

* * *

   "Hey, Mam, where's Cecy?" Will asked as she walked into his mother's sewing room. "I have searched the whole house, and I went looking through the garden and fields. I can't seem to find her anywhere." Linette took of her wife framed glasses and put down her blanket that she was working on to look at her son. She kindly looked at her son, pulling her hair back and tying it into a messy bun. "Yes, your sister went into town with Gabriel," she said, turning her chair towards her son. "She was wanting this dress, so I sent her to get it. But I wasn't about to let her go and get it by herself, so I sent Gabriel with her. He wasn't too mad about it, he was actually wanting to get out of the house as well." She turned back around, putting her glasses back on and picked up her sewing needle to continue her work. "She'll probably be back in a couple of hours. Is it something that I can help you with?"

   Will shook his head, trying not to rip his hair out and scream. He understood his sister wanting to go get a new dress. But there were more people to take her out than his least favourite person in the world, Gabriel. She could have gone with him, Gideon wouldn't have minded either. Sophie could do a decent job taking care of her. Jem couldn't because he collapsed a couple of minutes after the fight they had a few days ago, so he was recovering. Just a few more days and then he could get back on his feet. "No, mam," he said quietly. "I'll just wait until she returns. I will find a way to pass the time until then. Would you like to join me? If not, that's fine. I can just stay with Tessa for a little longer." Linette shook her head and waved her son forward to come closer. "No darling," she smiled. "I have something that I want to talk to you about. If it doesn't bother you, could you come here and sit with me." Will nodded and pulled up a chair.

   "I want you to know," she breathed, "that your father and I love you very much. And that we missed you so much when you left. Darling, we missed you so much that we started crying when we got the letter from Mrs. Brandwell. We were just so excited to see what type of man you had grown into. You should have seen Cecily when we told her the news. She started screaming and cleaning the house and getting ready. She wasn't too happy that there were others that were going to be joining you. She doesn't really mind them anymore, though. I think she actually likes them around the house. Maybe it's the fact that the house isn't stagnant anymore." The older woman didn't look up from her sewing, but she knew that she was making Will feel bad for leaving them all those years ago. Body language was one thing that all good mothers could read.

   "I missed you all, too," he whispered. He really did. No one in the world could ever replace his family. Tessa and Jem weren't people to make up for his family, Charlotte and Henry weren't surrogates. They were additions to his already amazing household. They made a stronger tribe. In the family,

 

Gabriel and Jessamine were more like these cousins that aren't invited to the reunions but come anyway for the drama. And Gideon was more like a husband who didn't always come, but when he did it was a fairly fun time. "If you meet more of my family in London, you would know that I am taken care of. I am loved and treated well." He smiled weakly, knowing the two families would never truly meet. But the idea was amusing and would make a great experience for a lot of the group. He could only imagine how Cecily would kill Jessie in the end. He was between poisoning her drink and letting snakes loose in her bedroom. Either way, Jessie would have ended up dead.

   "Yeah," Linette said, "but that probably isn't going to happen." And Will knew that was true. It was never going to happen.

* * *

   "We are nowhere near town," Cecily commented as Gabriel helped her out of the carriage. "Is there any particular reason that you decided to lie and sneak me to Snowdon." Gabriel smiled, slamming the door shut and walking to the luggage. "Ah, you have realized my plan," he joked.

   "What, to drag me away from everyone and kill me?"

   "Why of course."

   Cecily's smile only seemed to grow when she saw the basket and blanket. It warmed her heart to see what he was doing. "A romantic picnic?" she asked as she held her hand out to get the blanket. "You never cease to amaze me, Mister Lightwood." He laughed. She never really called him "Mister Lightwood". She always went straight to the Christian names when it came to the guests in her home. It was only in joking manners that she would pull out the last names. Or, if she was really mad, she would pull out the full name when screaming at you. But he had been blessed to not have to deal with that. "Yes, I am trying to amaze you always," he laughed. "But, would I make it less romantic if I told you that your mother helped me pack the food?" Cecily snorted and nodded.

   Pushing out the blanket and spreading out the food until all was out of the basket, the two sat down together. "That shall be the only talk of my mother for the rest of the trip," she laughed. "I would much rather talk about you. There is still so much for me to learn that you haven't told me. Let's talk about the parties that your father would throw when you were children. About the erotic endings and the lust driven by intoxication. Did your mother ever approve of these... habits?" Gabriel's smile faded ever so slightly, remembering his father and the blue woman who he lied with many nights. But his smile soon returned at the memories of his mother dancing, her long hair flowing around her in a golden halo. He was so young, but he could remember the dress she wore. It covered her breasts, unlike the gowns of so many women, and it was the lightest baby blue. "My mother loved dancing," he explained. "When she was alive, the parties were pure. They were about seeing people and dancing. And the loving based from a bottle did not exist.

   "But then she died. My father changed the motives of the parties and tried his hardest to shield it from us. But he always failed, he was too busy laying with beautiful women. Many of the women were things he was supposed to kill and not lay with. Sometimes, I wonder if he was just waiting for my mother to die or leave so that he could do something so impure." He paused. This is not something that a young woman was supposed to hear about. But she asked. "I tried, some nights, to try to find some type of love and be lucky like my father. I was young and hopeful. I tried to find a woman to call my own. They never stayed. And I never learned. I would always continue to go to the parties in search of love." THAT he did not mean to say. The idea of him searching for love was not one he wanted Cecily to think. He wanted her to envision more dignified ideas.

   "Well, you don't have to search for love anymore," Cecily said, laying her head down onto his lap. "Because I love you and I'm not going to leave you."

  1. Love. You.



   She just told him that she loved him. For the first time, she told him that she loved him. It was his first time ever being told that by a woman, as none of the others ever stayed long enough to tell him. And he was hoping that she meant it. He thought she meant it. Her blue eyes were shining with an emotion he had never seen before. "I love-"

   Gabriel was about to respond, but his body sprung into action, grabbing the girl and rolling to the side. His mind didn't even know what he was doing. He was about to apologize when only a second later a tree that had been ripped from the ground was thrown at them. Debris was flying through the air, dirt blinding the two just enough for them not to see anything around them. Gabriel was up in the blink of an eye and he was grabbing Cecily's wrist, making her run towards their ride. He had his bow and arrows there. And a few items that Henry had made just in case he met the thing he thought through the tree. But, there was a problem that he realized: Cecily didn't run nearly as fast as him. She was stumbling and tripping and was slowing him down. So, he turned around to pick her up. And that's when he saw it.

   Hovering at maybe 10 feet, the bulkiest automaton he had ever seen. It WAS what he had thought, only 10 feet and 50 pounds worse. The last one that he had ever seen stood at maybe 5 or 6 feet tall. So, Mortmain had obviously been using his free time wisely. "What the hell is that?" Cecily screamed, curling her body into the man even more. He ran to the carriage and almost had her in, but another tree was thrown towards them, hitting their transportation. "That," Gabriel explained, "is something that wants us dead."  With that, he threw her behind the fallen vehicle. "Now stay here and try not to give it what it wants." To be completely honest, he was more concerned with making sure Cecily never got hurt than he was about himself. He was probably going to die anyway.

   Gabriel shuffled to his baggage and grabbed a hot box that he had packed. It was full of weapons that Henry had made to be discreet. His bow, which had been made to fold for easy carry, two types of arrows that folded as well. The first type was just regular arrows with normal arrowheads. The second kind, on the other hand, had a mechanism that was made by Henry to damage the insides of the Automatons. Once he had realized that one of his inventions was actually helpful, he made them in bulk for the shadowhunters for London, even making arrows for Gabriel and a few others. And those were the ones that he was going to use. Grabbing his choice, Gabriel stood up, pulled his arm back, and released. The arrow landed straight int the metal beasts "abdomen".

   The face, twisted and blank, looked down at the arrow. And watched as the metal end expanded, unfolded until it was a flat box. It showed no movement. It just sat still. But the screeching sound of metal grinding against metal ended it. Gears inside of the monster began to move, dragging Henry's device into its body, crushing it between slow, powerful ridges. And the face continued to stare as if it wasn't crushing a machine inside of its body. And Gabriel continued to stare in disbelief. None of the others had ever been able to do that before. It was usually one or two arrows and they were down. The machine lifted its right arm, which had a gun built into the forearm, and pointed it right at him. A loud bang echoed, the seemingly invisible bullet slicing through the air straight towards the boy. He tried to move out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough. Throwing himself to the side, the bullet lodged itself into the lower left part of his abdomen. It didn't hit any of the vital organs, from what he could tell, but there was blood already gushing out of the wound. The dark liquid stained his once white shirt and fell into the grass below him. He had maybe a few minutes before he could collapse from blood loss.

   Gabriel pushed himself up and tried to make his way to the carriage, but the pain was blinding and he was slow compared to the automaton. A large metal hand came down and picked him up by the neck, blocking out his airway and making him choke. Gabriel was brought face to face with the beast. He felt it in his bleeding gut, he was going to die. He tried to yell out. Yell out to Cecily, tell her to run and take on of the horses, but all that came out was a little croak that couldn't be heard over the loud grinding of metal. He was going to die and fail to protect the woman he loves at the same time. His father would have probably called him a sissy if he were seeing this. So, he did the only thing he could think of: he prayed. He prayed for the well being of the Herondales, as they were so kind of taking him in. He prayed for the forgiveness he so desperately thought he needed.

   But, as soon as he closed his eyes, the grip around his neck went away and his body hit the ground. The impact fucking hurt. Gasping for air, Gabriel peaked an eye open to see the giant twisting into itself against the damp grass. Cecily, hovering, grabbed him and made him stand up. "Come on," she told him, trying to get him to walk. "We need to get you home. You need to see a doctor." But he couldn't. His vision was starting to black out, to blur along the edges. The last thing he could remember was him falling over into the young girl.   



	6. Grey Eyes

"You need to stay with me a little longer," Cecily said as she draped Gabriel's arm around her shoulders. He had slightly woken up halfway through the ride back. But he was only just conscious. "We're home. You just have to make it inside. Then you can lie down. Gabriel stay awake!" He had lost a lot of blood during the ride back. Cecily was surprised that he wasn't dead as the horse refused to run at full speed. She struggled up the stairs, her lover being double her size and weight, but she was able to get up and knock vigorously on the off-white door.  
When it took a few seconds, she started knocking ever louder and faster. The wood finally swung open to an angry and obviously tired Will. It didn't take him much time to see the bloody, ghost pale Gabriel holding on to his sister and realize there was another's life in his hands. He looked down and saw the blood dripping from his shirt, onto his pants and down to his shoe. He was on the verge of passing out. "Give him to me," he demanded, scooping the boy into his arms, carrying him bridal style into the parlor. Setting him onto the white couch, all Cecily thought of was her mother's reaction to the blood getting on it. Will and Cecily's mother had this... odd personality trait of never wanting anything to be dirty. She would clean the house constantly if there was even a little spec of dirt in the house, and she was constantly rearranging the furniture. "Okay, are you hurt?" he asked as he ripped off the bloody shirt. "That's my first priority. No offense, Gabriel." He gave a small smirk to the boy, who gave a weak scowl and raised his middle finger. Cecily gave a little "uh-uh", telling him that she wasn't injured. In reality, she had a couple of cuts and scrapes, but nothing too bad.  
"Great," he breathed, compressing the wound as best as he could without actually inflicting pain. "What I need you to do, Cecy, is to run and wake up Gideon and Sophie. I'm pretty sure that I saw Gideon go into her room earlier. So, check her room first. Tell him that Gabriel is injured and that she needs to bring the emergency pack." What was the emergency pack? Why did it matter? Cecily nodded, bunched up her long skirt, and ran up the spiraling stairwell. Luckily, Sophie was only a few doors away from the stairs, so the trip was short. She flung open the door to two bodies intertwined under the covers. It smelled of sweat and the sound of heavy breathing filled the air. "Sorry to interrupt a special moment," she said, letting her presence be known by the other two people. The couple bolted apart, covering their nudity with the thin blankets.  
"Cecily!" Sophie exclaimed as soon as she saw the blood staining the yellow and white dress. "What happened?" She quickly rushed up, dropping the blankets to check her. Cecily was too in shock at the moment to care about seeing the older woman naked. "It's Gabriel," she whispered. "He's hurt. Will told me to get you. He said he needed an emergency pack." Sophie and Gideon were much like her brother. They were quick to react. Gideon leaned over, still covering himself, and got his pants. At the same time, he threw Sophie a robe to cover herself as she ran into the closet to fetch something. "Cecily, you should go downstairs." Gideon moved from the bed and whipped a bit of blood from her face. "Gabriel might need someone while we collect everything."  
He didn't have to tell her twice. She wanted to be back with him. She wanted to hold his hand and tell him that everything was going to be okay. So, Cecily ran back down the hallway to find Tessa and her mother already awake and helping will. Her mom was fairly trained in nursing, so she already was trying to pull out the bullet with a pair of sharp, wire-thin tweezers. The young girl rushed past Tessa, who was telling her to sit down. That she looked sick. She didn't care if she looked sick, she had to stay with Gabriel. "Hey," she whispered as she took his hand in hers. "Glad to see that you're still awake." She pressed their foreheads together and squeezed his hand. "Not for much longer," he laughed, followed by a groan of pain as her mom poked to get the bullet out again. She must have some trouble to find it. "My lids are getting a little too heavy for me to stay awake. I already feel like I'm half awake." His face held a weak smile as he nuzzled his head onto her shoulder, her ear getting rubbed lightly by his short hair.  
Loud thumps against the creaky wooden stairs stopped the two. They quickly pulled apart. "We have everything," Gideon said, giving Cecily a quick side glance. "We also sent a message to the Silent City. Henry is going to send them through his portal. They're going to be here in a few hours." Sophie followed right behind him, not nearly as pulled together as her lover was. She, too, gave Cecily an awkward side glance, possibly to tell her to keep her mouth shut. And then it hit her. A wave of nausea followed by a feeling that was a hard punch to her organs. She had had many waves like this one, but this was worse. Her vision was wavering and her body wanted to double over. Cecily felt like she was going to be sick.  
"Cecy?" Will asked as he went over to rub her back. "Do you feel alright?" She wanted to shake her head, but moving only made the feeling worse. And then it started to come up. She pushed her brother to the side and threw up right there, right on the carpet. Her breath couldn't regulate as she started dry heaving again, her body trying to push more up. People around her started rushing, both of the men went (well, they were forced) back to Gabriel, while the women went to help her. "Let's get you to your room," her mother said quietly, pulling her hair back. All three of them used their strength and pulled the girl up from the floor, up the stairs, and into the last room in the hallway. They laid her onto her bed and propped her head up on all of the pillows. "I'll go make us some tea." Linette rushed out of the room, down into the kitchen. Tessa was setting things up in the room for her to distract herself. And Sophie sat there, right next to Cecily, brushing her hair gently.  
Sophie sighed and pushed the black hair away from the pale girl's face. "I'm surprised that you just started throwing up like that," she told her. "I've only seen one other person I've seen have such a violent reaction to blood was when Charlotte was trying to treat Henry's wounds after a fight they had. But she's pregnant and is kind of sensitive of everything at the moment." Cecily only looked up at her, sorrowful. Sophie didn't seem to understand this look, so she just kept brushing her hair, waiting for the Silent Brothers to arrive. And that was a long time away.  
By the time the Silent Brothers got there, many hours later, Cecily had already told the girls what was actually going on. That her mother had taken her to a doctor and they are decided that this was the most likely cause. But that she wasn't far enough to know if they were right. The door opened to Linette walking into the room, pale-faced, followed by a tall man whose face was covered by a dark cloak. He was taller than their doorway, so he had to duck to get into the room. "Cecily," her mother said, "I want you to know that Brother Enoch may be a little intimidating at first. But he is only here to make sure that nothing is wrong. If you need, you can just close your eyes." Her mom seemed uncomfortable around this man. But Cecily felt a sense of calm wash over her. As if this man held an energy around him that helped people not freak out when he healed them. But then he lowered his hood. He was paler than any of the boys in the house. He had no eyes and his mouth had been sewn shut by thick, black thread. He was a thing of nightmares.  
"Hello, Ms. Herondale," it "said" to her. But he didn't speak. It was almost an echoing sound in her head. "You can just close your eyes. I know you are scared. I just need to check you for any injuries. It will only take a few minutes. I won't have to touch you, do not worry." Cecily didn't hesitate to close her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at the... thing. She felt her mother take her hand and stroked her thump against the back. Cecily tried to focus on the therapeutic feeling of her mother's touch, but one question kept creeping into her mind: How is he checking for injuries if he isn't touching me? But it was a silly question, yes. How could he talk if he didn't have a mouth to speak with? That is a more relevant question in her mind. How could he walk around if he didn't have any eyes to see with? There were so many things she could question about this thing, but it didn't change the fact that he was able to do what he needed to do without mundane things such as eyes.  
Just as she was promised, it took only a few minutes before the echoing came back to her head. "You seem to be completely healthy," Brother Enoch said. "Only cuts and bruises, but they aren't going to kill you." There was almost a humor in his voice. As if the dull creature was trying to make some sort of joke. "Now, I must tell you something you may not like. You seem to be with child. It is female. And it holds, just like you, the blood of the shadowhunters." Her heart raced. She knew she was pregnant, that's not what made her anxious. What made her anxious was the fact that it was a girl. Not a lot of men like the fact of them having a daughter. Cecily knew a girl that got pregnant with her employer's child and they were planning to run away together. But then, she gave birth to a girl and he decided to not leave with her and paid her to stay silent.  
But Gabriel isn't like that. He isn't the type of man who would leave simply for the fact that his child was a girl. "I have a question," Linette said, letting go of her daughter's hand. "What about Tessa?" Cecily, who still had her eyes squeezed shut, heard a scoff of a laugh. It was obviously Tessa's. She had a throaty laugh that was almost as deep as a mans if she laughed hard enough. "No, no," they all heard in reply. "Although she can carry a child, she is not pregnant. I see this a lot with married women. They want to be with child so bad that their body starts to give her the symptoms of it. It will pass in a little bit. I can already tell that your symptoms have been going down the past couple of weeks."  
Cecily's eyes shot open and looked at the woman. Grey eyes, wide open in shock. Tessa's body was in a position of 'what the absolute fuck'. No one in the room cared about a 15-year-old being pregnant with the child of a man she met a little over 6 months ago. Everyone was in shock by the idea of a warlock being able to have children. "I can have kids," she whispered under her breath. Linette, of course, was already jumping up and down, talking about her future grandchildren. That she was already having one and that she was so excited for the next. But Tessa and Cecily just locked eyes.  
Both of their lives had just been turned upside down in the strangest ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so fucking sorry that it took me so long to update. It's even worse that this chapter isn't that great. I lost all of my writing materials in Georgia and my aunt threw it away, so I had to rewrite everything. I hope you enjoyed and I'm already working on chapter 7. 
> 
> ALSO, I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING A TRUE CRIME BLOG (skylarsjoblom.blogspot.com) IT IS A SCHOOL BASED BLOG, SO THERE MAY BE STUPID BLOGS I HAVE TO WRITE, BUT IF YOU LIKE TRUE CRIME BLOGS, PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!


	7. Love Of My Life

Tessa came down the stairs hiccuping and crying. And this worried Will. Nothing really worried him when it came to the love of his life, but crying was the one thing that would. Tessa wasn't a cryer. But, he quickly saw the smile plastered to her face, and all of his worries melted off of him. She wasn't hurt or upset. Somehow, Tessa had the beautiful talent of looking so beautiful doing such ridiculous things. When she cried, her eyes would turn bloodshot and her body would blush, and this made her look like a princess from some fairytale he had heard as a child. She was the happiest she had been in months. The last time she had been so happy she had cried is when they were able to find her necklace that she was convinced she had lost. "What happened darling," Will asked, wiping a tear from her plump cheek.  
The woman didn't say anything and instead smashed their lips together. They had kissed many times before, and he could always fit the experience into a category. There was lust, love, simple affection. But this one... it was different. It was as if all the emotions she could physically feel were being pushed between them through an instant moment. Her hands gripped onto Will's collar and pulled him closer. There was such little space between them that he could feel her heartbeat. Or was that his? He couldn't tell.  
When Tessa finally pulled away, she quietly muttered an "I love you" Her voice was so gentle, so sincere. Something had happened, but he didn't know what.  
"What happened?" Will asked again, more eager than ever. He wanted to know! But Tessa only sighed. "There are two parts to this," she told him with a smile. "One is good news. And one... you won't find to be the best." Will looked confused. There were very few things that Tessa would find to be great that he would find horrible. "So, first, I am not pregnant." Well duh, he thought. "But, the good news is that I can get pregnant." He froze. Will's breath held still and his heart was racing. What did she just say? "Baby, we can have children! Little kids... that are our children!" Tears started streaming down his face. No one in the world could ever understand the way the two felt. This was the one things that the two had always dreamed of but thought they could never have.  
The two embraced once more. But there wasn't any kissing this time. No romance, just pure bliss. In this moment, nothing bad could happen to them. All the two could feel was a neverending wave of happiness.  
"Wait," he said, holding her in front of him. "What is the other piece of news, then?" Tessa didn't want to upset Will, her day was going to so great. But she was too happy to care about what she said, so she let it slip. "We're going to have a niece," she laughed. "Cecily is pregnant with a baby girl!" She seemed so happy about it. She WAS happy about it. But Will... all he could feel was his happiness being replaced by a wave of anger and hatred. His 15-year-old sister is pregnant! How could his fiance be laughing about this? It wasn't a funny situation. "Okay," he said through gritted teeth. "I love you. You are the light of my life, but I have to go."  
With that, he bolted up the stairs. His mother was in the middle of the hallway, talking to brother Enoch. Linette was a very short woman, which made it a very funny sight to see her standing next to the tallest Silent Brother. But it wasn't funny enough to stop the boy who was on a mission. And before his mother could process his actions, he stormed into the room and locked the doors behind him. He didn't want her interfering, so he had to lock her out. Will spun around on his heels to find his sister getting changed by Sophie.  
"We have to talk," he said, crossing his arms in front of him. Cecily only scoffed. "Does it have to be while I'm naked?" She laughed a little, making her baby bump more visible. How far along was she? It was about the same size as Charlotte when he last saw her, maybe even bigger. Once Cecily's dress was slipped on, Cecily sat on the bed and crossed her legs. Through her thin nightgown, he could see her bump even more. All he could ask was how he hadn't been able to notice this before? "So, how long have you know?" he asked softly, distracted a bit by Sophie leaving the room. Thankfully, their mother didn't try to get herself in to stop the conversation.  
"We found out about a month into the pregnancy," Cecily explained. "So about 4 months ago." It took a while for Will to pick up what she was subtly hinting at. But, once he did, he jammed his pointer finger knuckle into his mouth to stop himself from screaming. "Don't be mad," she begged. "And, if you want to be mad, be mad at me. It was my fault anyway. I had my IUD taken out! (A/N: That's birth control, not the bomb. And, yes, they did exist in 1878, I googled it!) The father didn't even know." Will put his hand down, his knuckle bleeding from the force of his bite, and glared at her. He wasn't going to be mad at his sister, she was the love of his life. He was going to be mad at Gabriel. He was holding in his anger from finding out about them yesterday, but today gave him the final straw to just blow up.  
"I couldn't be mad at you," the older boy smiled, rubbing his thumb across his sister's pale cheek. "You're the light of my life. I can't stay mad. I'm mad at the father. I'm mad at him because you are 15, and no matter how you phrase it, it is his fault."  
____________________________________________  
"How are you feeling?" Tessa asked as the brought a pair of newly washed clothes into the room. Gabriel, sitting on his bed, smiled and laughed. "I feel like I've just been shot." HIs body had a slight tint to it from the blood. She had never seen blood stain skin before, but she had also never seen a shadowhunter cry before. So, today was a first for everything.  
"You've been crying," the man said, taking the clothing from her. He had a face of genuine concern, resting his hand on her shoulder. Not once had Tessa ever thought he cared about her. He actually gave her the cold shoulder once she got engaged to Will. But there was a look in his eyes that showed he really cared. That he wanted to know what was wrong. "Oh, don't worry about that," she smiled. "Nothing bad happened. Quite good things, actually."  
Gabriel smiled, relieved that nothing had come to harm Cecily or Tessa. When Brother Enoch left without alerting the rest of the group, he got scared. The Brothers only seemed to do that when someone was dying or had died. "Oh thank god," he breathed. "I was scared for a second. I thought something had happened to Cecily." The way he said the younger girls name made her want to melt. He was so obviously in love with her. "No," she laughed, sifting her body weight to her other foot. "But I can understand your worry. With her being pregnant and the fact you were attacked-"  
"What?" he exclaimed.  
Tessa paused and looked at him oddly. She turned her head to the side and gave him a "hmm?". She didn't know what she had said. "What do you mean Cecily is pregnant?" he asked, bolting to his feet and grabbing her by the shoulders. His knuckles were turning a pale white from his grip on the younger woman. And Tessa stood there, shocked, and just stared. Did he not know? Cecily had known for a while, so she just assumed the girl had told the father by now. But, apparently not. He seemed to be in the blue on this matter, and he looked like he was going to faint.  
"Cecily is five months pregnant," she told him. Tessa winced at the tightness of his grip but didn't move out of fear he may hold tighter. "You're going to have a daughter with Cecily!" All Gabriel could do was stare at her. He didn't know what to do, how to feel. His mind was screaming and running in all direction. He was going to be a dad. Gabriel was going to have a daughter. He never would admit this out loud, but he wanted daughters more than sons. He wanted to have kick-ass daughters who listened to no one and did what was right. Like Charlotte... but taller.  
"You see, she scared," Tessa went on, now starting to try and remove herself from the grasp. It didn't work. "Because she doesn't know how you'll feel. Since you've only been together for five or so months. And she doesn't know what you see of this relationship. For her to get pregnant so early into your relationship..." Her voice was drowning out of his head as his mind wandered. Cecily didn't know how she would feel? He felt happy! How could he not be? He was going to have a baby girl!  
Gabriel let go of Tessa after he noticed that he was in pain. He could already feel his eyes watering. Was he seriously about to cry? In front of Tessa? With most people, he would have been ashamed or embarrassed. But it wouldn't hurt if Tessa knew. She wouldn't tell anyone. He once tried to get her to tell him Will's greatest fear, but she wouldn't budge.  
The tears started pouring, flowing over his high cheekbones and caught at the tip of his chin. He wasn't just tearing up, he was full on crying. He had never felt so much joy in his life. The air from his lungs was gone and his mind was in a racing state, never calming down. He could feel the huge smile that ran across his face. "Do you need anything?" Tessa asked, whipping a tear from his cheek. He simply shook his head and moved away.  
"No, I don't need anything. Where is Cecily?"  
___________________________________________  
Charlotte sat behind her desk and basked in the silence. Ever since the children had left, there had been an emptiness that lingered throughout the institute that wasn't there before. In the 6 months of the group being gone, so much had changed. Jessamine had been released from the Silent City and had gotten moved to Idris for safety reasons. Henry was being given more responsibility after his portal was successful, so he was almost never home. Which left the woman alone for hours on end in the large building.  
Luckily, her husband wasn't busy today. Henry wasn't in his lab, strangely, and was instead dozing off on the floor. Wanting to help his heavily pregnant wife, he decided to help sort all of their letters and files. But, being overworked, he passed out halfway through the weapons orders and was now propped up against the desk. Charlotte could only admire her husband wanting to help her.  
"Ma'am," a thick, Irish accent said from the doorway. It was Bridget. Once Sophie left, the poor cook had to double her work. Charlotte felt so bad that she had given her a raise. "A letter arrived for you. Ain't got an address. Just your name on it." Going forward, the stout woman set the letter on the large desk before retreating. As soon as the woman looked down, she knew who the letter was from. She knew that handwriting.  
Charlotte ripped the letter open and began to read.  
Dear Mrs. Brandwell,  
I see you sent your little children to Wales, how cute. To be honest, I thought you were going to ruin my plans at first. But I, being ever so patient, sat and waited. And now I do not worry. The longer those pesky rats stay together, the closer they will be to slitting each other's throats. Young love, Mrs. Brandwell, can destroy so much.  
Charlotte crumpled the letter up and threw it into the fireplace. She couldn't deal with this man and this threat. It stressed her out even more.  
"Henry, darling!" she yelled at her husband, shaking him awake. "Get train tickets and a letter ready. We have to bring all of them back!"


	8. Yes

Sweat made Charlotte's hair stick to her forehead and the back of her neck. The world was spinning around her and she was in the most pain she had been in since the battle when she was 18 when she got stabbed in the stomach. Henry was in the hallway, giving the adult version of a temper tantrum. Expecting fathers were not allowed into the room while their wives were giving birth. It was a stupid rule, and Henry had always made it clear how much he hated it. But he was taking verbal to a whole new level at this moment.  
"Only a few more pushes," one of the nurses said, putting aside another bloody cloth. She seemed to be the one in charge, always bossing the others around. Charlotte had learned that her name was Marie, and Marie was a small, blonde woman who looked way so frail it seemed like a miracle she could get out of bed. "Tell me when you feel your next contraction so that we can push more." She had been at this for hours. Her contractions had been going on for over 24 hours. Charlotte, tired and hungry, made her final 3 pushes, though. And she made them count. Using all of her strength, she pushed until the pressure was released and she saw one of the other nurses walk away with a squirming bundle: her baby.  
"Wait! Charles, I want Charles!" she cried out.  
But Marie stayed calm and went to her side. "You'll get your son, ma'am," she reassured, putting her hands on Charlotte's stomach. "But we need to have you push one more time you can push some extra stuff out. One more push, ma'am." Charlotte had an overwhelming urge to strangle this woman, but she was just trying to help. So, she gripped the side of the bed and gave one more push while the nurse pressed down on her stomach.  
It took a few minutes for all of the women to clean up all of the towels and give Charlotte her baby. He was so small. But it wasn't surprising as he decided to come 3 weeks early. When she held her child, all she could think of was how perfect he was. Charles was perfect. Absolutely perfect. He was just so small, so pure. He could do nothing wrong.  
"Lottie!" Henry exclaimed as he was finally allowed into the room. His voice sounded hoarse from all of the yellings he had done. It made her heart flutter at the thought. When he made it to her side, Henry placed a passionate kiss on her lips and rubbed his thumb against her cheek. He only pulled away when Charles made a little squeaking noise. When he went to look at his first born, there was a sparkle in his eyes. Love and excitement and joy all mixed into one.  
"Hello Charles," he whispered, kissing the little boys forehead.  
\-------------------------------------  
Jem, Cecily, Gabriel, and Will had all been shoved into one box. Not a smart idea as it left the group in an awkward silence. Will was glaring at Gabriel, Jem was moping in the corner, and Cecily was laying on her spouse's lap and trying not to puke everywhere. Only an hour into their trip, they all wanted to get this over with. But this was an overnight ride, so they were all stuck.  
"I'm not feeling so good," Jem said all of a sudden and got up on wobbly legs. "I'm going to get some fresh air." This broke Will's dark gaze, making him look worried as his parabatai left the small "room". The raven hair boy simply left, following to check on Jem. This left the young couple alone. Cecily had obviously been tense the whole trip due to morning sickness. But Gabriel thought something else was wrong.  
"Do you need to talk about anything, darling?" he asked, "You seem bothered." A few moments passed before Cecily pushed herself up. Looking straight into the boy's eyes, she put his hand into hers. "Do you promise not to get mad?" She looked down at her feet. "It's a silly thing to worry about." Gabriel always thought this to be funny about his partner. The young girl was either worried about what she felt, or she didn't give a fuck what others thought. There wasn't much in-between. But, not to worry her, he promised.  
"I'm worried about our relationship and- and the baby. I know you want to stay a shadowhunter, it's been your whole life. But I know that I don't want to be a part of that life. I don't want our daughter to be a part of that life." She looked down sadly. "But I heard you talking to your brother. You want her to be like you." Of course he wanted her to be like him. His daughter was a Lightwood.  
"I do want her to be a shadowhunter," Gabriel told her. "It's in her blood."  
"But is it in her best interest? A life where she won't be expected to live past 30 isn't a life she should be living."  
"Of course it's in her best interest!" he exclaimed a little louder than he meant to. "Because she is a Lightwood. When our daughter is older, she will have the ability to inherit so much! You, of all people, should understand. But... maybe not. Cecily, maybe your head is too stuffed with your father's silly ideas!" He paused. Gabriel had said a lot of stupid things when he was mad. And this is the only one he has regretted. He shouldn't have said that. But it was too late. Cecily's eyes widened and she bolted to her feet.  
"First of all, Gabriel, I wanted to discuss this. You have turned this into a fight. Second, my father does not have stupid ideas," she told him in a stern voice. She wasn't yelling, she didn't need to to get her point across. "My father left because he loved my mother. He loved her enough to have everything he knew to be with her. He loves her! And the fact that you won't even consider it just shows-"  
The girl was cut off when the door of their box slid open. Will stepped into the room, concerned, and eyed the two. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, stepping back a little. "Because I can wait." Cecily shook her head and sat down on the seat opposite of Gabriel. Her pale face was slightly flushed from the argument they just had. "How is Jem?"  
"He's fine, I guess."  
"What do you mean?"  
"By the time I caught up to him, he was already talking to someone else," he explained, sitting next to his sister. "He seemed interested, so I thought it would be best if I just left. Funnily enough, just as I started heading this way, Jem and the man were leaving to go somewhere else!" Cecily raised an eyebrow as an idea came into her head, but she quickly pushed it aside. THAT simply couldn't be a reason. Jem had expressed his admiration to her too many times.  
No.  
____________________________________  
"How exactly did you get a box without windows into the hallway?" Jem asked as the man handed him a glass of wine. Tyler, the man who had become extremely interested in, was a fairly good looking man. He had striking dark brown eyes and longish brown hair. He had softer features, which Jem found to be lovely. "I'm friends with the owner," he explained, pouring himself a glass. "So I asked for it. I enjoy my privacy." Jem hummed in understanding as he took a sip of the bittersweet liquid. He, himself, loved privacy but rarely got it.  
"Moving onto you," Tyler continued, sitting down next to him. "Two women have broken your heart in the span of a year. You must be hurting!" Jem simply shrugged. Downing the rest of his drink, he placed the glass on the large room's window sill. "I guess," Jem sighed. "It hurt for the first few days. But then, it was like I had felt nothing at all. All of the love and affection that I used to feel seemed to go through the window. Does that make sense?"  
"That used to be me." Tyler laughed and looked down at his glass. "And then I realized something."  
"What did you realize?"  
"That I like men and not women." He looked up at Jem with a slightly worried look. Was he worried that Jem would judge him for his preferences? He didn't care. His uncle was a homosexual. Sure, he was married to a woman, but that was to end suspicion. But he male lover that he loved more than anything. They treated each other like an actual married couple. "So, are you suggesting that I actually like men and I just don't know it?" Tyler laughed again. God, did that sound amazing. It was beautiful and full of life. The outburst could easily be mistaken for music.  
"What I'm saying is that you should experiment. Try something new. Be with a man. Be with a woman. Find which one sparks... a feeling within you." Jem looked at him for a second and it suddenly hit him how attractive Tyler was. It looked like a painting, his features were unreal, they were perfect. It also hit him how close they were sitting to each other. "But who am I going to experiment with?" the young boy asked softly. And with that, their lips touched. The kiss was full of lust, but not the aggressive kind. It was soft and gentle as if Tyler was trying not to break him.  
Jem froze for a second, surprised by the sudden action, but he quickly kissed back with equal force and feeling. He grabbed the man's collar as two arms wrapped around his waist. And in those moments, his mind went blank. No thoughts worried him. He couldn't think about others catching them. All he could think about was their lips and that there was too much space between the two of them. Putting his hand on the back of the older head, he pulled the man forward before pushing himself back. He had even shocked himself by the sudden action. Jem hadn't meant to do that.  
Tyler pushed himself up and looked down, taking in the view underneath him. "Do I have permission to continue?" he asked, pushing Jem's collar to the side. (We stan consent.) Was Jem seriously about to do this? He could only imagine what others would think of him if they found out. But how would they find out? They weren't going to know. They didn't have to know. It was going to be his little secret.  
"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lot shorter than I wanted it to be. I just needed it so that I could lead into the next chapter. But yeah. And if you don't like the LGBT community, than I would suggest leaving. Not only because there will be a same sex couple in this series, but because I am part of the LGBT community.


	9. London

"Where have you been?" Gabriel asked dully, not opening his eyes when Jem walked into the room. The air in the space was thick, almost unbearable to be in, and Cecily was nowhere to be seen. As he sat down, he looked at Will and asked where the younger girl was. "She's in a mood," Gabriel explained. "So she went to be with Tessa and Sophie." He looked pissed. Something must have happened. Jem looked over to Will again with wide eyes but was only answered with a shrug.  
"But you didn't answer my question," the older boy continued. "You've been in and out all day, disappearing for hours at a time. Where are you going?" Jem paused and thought. What was he going to tell them? Easy. "There's an older lady a couple of rows down," he fibbed confidently. "She gets lonely, so I go to visit her." With almost any other person, that would be the most far stretched lie in the world. But for someone like Jem, it seemed like a possible reality. So, Gabriel didn't think anything of it. He fell right to sleep, snoring lightly.  
It took a few more hours before they reached the dirt landing. In the time it took them to get there, Jem left twice. No one batted an eye. Once the train came to a stop, men and women started piling up trying to get out. But the group sat. They were waiting until it cleared out. It would be easier to unpacking that way. Once all the people were gone, Ceily appeared and slid the door open hastily.  
"Let's go," she said, dully, as she grabbed her two cases. "I want to get out of this horrid metal tube.” None of them said anything back, and instead grabbed their trunks and followed closely. The youngest looked mad and no one should upset her more unless you wanted a bullet in your head. Linette and Edmund were already waiting outside with Tessa, and Sophie and Cyril were packing up the luggage. The group took in the familiar look of the gloomy, grey sky and the buildings that stood too close together. Ah, what a beautiful, overpopulated city.   
While everyone was happy, Cecily pinched her nose and made a face of disgust. “It smells like a giant cigar,” she observed, walking towards the carriage with purpose. “I can’t understand why anyone would want to live in a place that smells like a giant cigar.” She sounded like a child, which made Gabriel grin. But he quickly went back to a straight face. He had to remember that he was mad at her, so he couldn’t laugh at the things she did. He was right! He wasn’t going to budge.   
“Everyone into their carriage,” Cyril demanded, and everyone complied. Similar to the train, Jem, Cecily, Gabriel, and Will were in one, and the rest were in another. But Cecily had traded with Tessa as she “wanted to be with her parents”. But they all knew it was because she was mad at Gabriel. And she didn’t want to be anywhere near him at the moment. Cecily didn’t want to look at him.  
______________________________________________  
“And I made up the biggest room for you,” Sophie explained while leading Edmund and Linette to their bedroom. “If there is anything you need, please just let me know. I’m here to help you.” The couple simply nodded and made their way into the room. They hadn’t talked to anyone since they had made it to London. They nodded to Charlotte and Henry, didn’t say hi to the baby, and were more than eager to find where they were going to be sleeping. They obviously didn’t want to be around anybody. Maybe they just needed some time to adjust. Which was understandable as they were just thrown into a life that they thought they would never have to see again. Sophie could only imagine how odd the whole experience must be.   
“Oh, Ms. Collins!” a thick, Irish accent called, altering the young girl. “Bridget!” she called back. The two quickly embraced. It wasn’t until now that she realized just how much she missed the older woman. The soft scent of pomegranates and tobacco filled the air as they gripped tighter. God, it had been so many months. “Goodness, girl,” she exclaimed. “You’ve lost some weight. Come on, let’s get you something to eat and get some meat back on those bones.”   
The two pulled away and were able to head to the kitchen when Cecily rushed passed them. “Ms. Herondale? Are you okay?” Cecily stopped, but didn’t turn around. She was breathing heavily and her shoulders were held tight. “Yes,” she groaned, panting. “Sophie? Could you please send Tessa to my room? I need to-” she paused. “-see her.” And with that, she rushed into her room and slammed the door shut. Sophie simply stood there. What was wrong with the Herondale family today? They were all rushing to their rooms. And that was the oddest encounter she had ever had with the young girl.   
“I guess I have to postpone our meal,” Sophie said. The maid did as she was asked and went to inform Tessa. Showing her to the room, she waited outside. Tessa was in the room for almost an hour before she finally came out. Pale faced, she said nothing and walked away. What had happened? She opened the door.   
At first, the room seemed empty and normal. The nightgown and dress for tomorrow were hung on the door and extra blankets were sat in the corner. The blinds were closed, blocking all of the sun from coming in. Sophie turned her head and looked at the bed where Cecily was laying. She saw the problem.   
Blood. So much blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is up???? Long time, no see. First of all, this is not a great chapter and so thank you for actually reading it and dealing with my shittyness. Also, chapter ten will have almost nothing to do with this chapter. But, trust me. Chapter 11 holds all of the secrets we need to know.   
> Anyways, thank you for reading. I hope to be posting soon!!!


	10. Wedding

White and gold. It flowed across the room in strips of fine silk. While her dress was not traditional in either culture, it was beautiful. Tessa didn't want an all white dress. Why would she? It was going to wash her out and it was like every other married woman. So, she had mixed with a darker gold. It was sleeveless and had a heart- shaped neckline. Many people would be upset by how much skin she was showing, but they could suck it up. It was her wedding. She could wear what she wanted. 

And standing across from her stood Will Herondale. The love of her life. He was in a tux, and not in the traditional Shadowhunter wear. Of course he wasn't. They were having a "mundane" wedding. Between them stood Gideon, who was wedding them. He was ordained, for some odd reason. To Tessa's side, there was Linette, Charlotte, and Cecily. And to Will's, Henry, Jem, and Gabriel. Everyone looked so happy, even the guests, who mainly consisted of downworlders Magnus had made come.   
When it came to vows, Will went first. "Tess," he started, holding both of her hands in his. "You are one of the most stubborn, hot headed people I have ever met. You never do as told and will follow your own directions. But you do it because you know it's right.   
"The first time we fully talked, you implied that I was weak-minded! Which is true, but rude!" A chuckle went around the room. "And, that's when I knew I loved you. We had only talked for ten minutes and I had decided you are the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Now, we all know why it took me so long to go after you. But, thank god I finally did.   
"Theresa, my beautiful. I promise to be your best friend, no matter what. I promise to love you, even when we're mad at each other and want to rip each others throats out. And I promise, more than anything, to be the best husband to you and the best father to our children. Because the best is what you deserve." Tessa couldn't help but smile. This whole day was perfect, but he just made it better. Now it was her turn.   
"Okay," Tessa breathed. "I can't top that, but it's fine." Will laughed quickly before regaining composure. "When I first drafted my vows, it took about twenty minutes to get through. And people obviously want to get to the part where we eat, so I'll try to break it down." She paused and thought. How was she going to do this? Probably should have been more prepared, but it's too late now.   
"You used to push me away. You pushed all of us away once we got too close. And, for the longest time, I thought you hated me. I thought we would never be friends, but look at us now." Tessa waved a hand towards the large group of people around them. "We're taken one of many steps in our lives together.  
"There are so many things I want to promise you. Cooking you three meals a day will not be one of them as I have a life and you can cook. I can't promise you that dark clouds will never hover over our lives. I can't promise that tomorrow will be perfect or that life will be easy. But, I can promise my everlasting love, devotion, and respect. I promise I'll always be here for you, to listen and hold your hand. And, more than anything, I promise to be your best friend, your protector, and your family.  
The rest of the wedding went pretty smooth, rings were exchanged, and cake had been cut. And while everyone was enjoying food, live welsh folk music, and dancing, Jem was sitting at the furthest table. He was panicked and stressed. Now was not the time to think about troublesome ideas, but they wouldn't stop coming into his mind. Ever since his 'encounter' with Tyler, his mind had been racing with confusion. It had been distracting him from everything. "May I join you?" a voice asked.   
Jem turned around to Magnus Bane holding 2 glasses of a light pink drink. He, of course, looked stunning as ever in a brightly coloured silk suit. He was pretty sure it was actually for a woman, but the warlock still pulled it off pretty well. He was definitely a man with style. Jem waved his hand, telling him to sit down. "You seem... distracted, young Shadowhunter," Magnus commented, sitting down and pushing a glass into the boys hand. Jem looked down.   
"No, I'm just fine."  
"Don't lie to me, lovie. I've been alive long enough to know when someone isn't okay without using my magic. Tell me what's wrong." Magnus wiggled his fingers and a dark blue powder hit Jem in the face. He had to cough just a little bit, but Jem suddenly felt a wave of emotions. He realized that Magnus had used magic on him, but he couldn't help what he was about to say. "I'm confused about who I am and who I like in a romantic sense," he suddenly said. "Because I had always been raised to like women. I had always been raised to believe that I was going to fall in love with a woman, to marry a woman. But-"  
Jem bit his tongue. He didn't want to say it out loud. He wasn't going to say it out loud. "But what? You don't need to be scared. I don't judge and no one is listening." Magnus took a sip from his drink as Jem turned around to see everyone dancing. Except for Cecily, who had needed assistance from Sophie all day for some reason. No one was listening.   
"But I met this man on the way back from Wales. His name as Tyler and he was so sweet, and kind, and gentle. And when I was with him, I experienced these emotions that I had never felt with a woman. And knowing this is tearing my mind apart." He grabbed his silver locks in emphasis. Meanwhile, Magnus calmly drank and thought. It was a heavy topic to discuss, sexuality.  
The warlock understood what the young boy was going through. He met his first male lover only 200 years ago, and his mind was in constant worry and battle. But his lover, Hans Memling, made him feel safe to feel loved and explore. And that seemed to be what the Shadowhunter needed. Safety to explore who you are was so rare at this time, when religion ran everything and people understood nothing... Maybe the wedding wasn't the best place to talk about it.   
"Do you want to go back to my place?" Magnus asked, back up and waving his hand to put the cups away. "We can talk more about it there. And it would be more private." Jem looked up and looked over to his best friend- his brother- laughing and dancing with Sophie while Tessa sat with her new sister in law. They wouldn't notice if he was gone. And then he looked up at the cat-eyed man and saw that there was something in his eyes. As if he genuinely wanted to help him. So, Jem stood up and grabbed the hand that had been extended.   
"Yeah, let's go."  
_______________________________  
What is up bitches. Sorry that I unpublished the book while I wrote this chapter. For some reason, it just sitting while I wrote this made me so anxious that I couldn't write. So I took it down and now it's back up! Anyways, I am about to start typing up the next chapter. While I don't like everything about it, it does hold a lot of information that will be needed to end the book.   
Anywhores, hope you enjoyed his slightly happier chapter and I hope all you beans have a lovely day.


	11. Missing

Mrs. Branwell,  
Pity. You must have forgotten that I was still around. Or you thought I had left, become uninterested. Couldn't fully tell as the audio was starting to become static by that time. But, do not fear, I am still around. And I am still pursuing what is rightfully mine. My property, my goal. Funnily, while I was learning more about you all and how I was going to continue my plans, many interesting events have happened.   
First, let's talk about the children. I would like to say congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Branwell, on having Charles. The next generation of Shadowhunter's might be spared in the end, depending on how I feel when the time comes. Also, when it comes to children, tell Cecily Herondale that I give my condolences on her child. Loosing an unborn child must be hard on any woman, and I can only imagine how it is hurting her, with Cecily being 15. I can only imagine the type of pain she is going through.   
Now, let's talk about love . What a beautiful concept that everyone wishes to capture. And Mr. Carstairs has seemed to capture this in a very non-traditional way. He seemed to have found a flamboyant warlock who enjoys his company. Over the past few months, he and Magnus Bane have truly been enjoying their private times together either baking and reading or doing... other activities. I do not, in any way, mean to "out" Jem as a homosexual. Just thought it was a lovely time in his life where he found someone who loves him back.   
And Will and Tessa's wedding! It was beautiful, all of the sunflowers and such spread across the venue. And that cake! It was fantastic! But the vows were definitely the highlight of the wedding, they showed so much love. I'll try and remember them when Tessa and I are finally wed.   
Thank you, Mrs. Branwell. If you hadn't taken the time to read this very short letter of mine, I would have never been able to take her back. I have had her so close to my grasp, but today I can finally have Theresa. Pity, you'll be dead soon. And then I will have no one to write letters to anymore.   
Goodbye.  
Charlotte slammed the letter down onto the table and ran out of her bedroom. She should have seen this coming. Mortmain was a smart, thought out man who played them like chess pieces. And Charlotte was the pawn he played every turn. As she was about to turn to the last set of stairs, she slammed into Tessa. The two fell to the ground and hit hard.   
"Charlotte, thank god! I need your help." She scrambled to her feet and rushed over to help the shorter woman. Tessa looked stressed and very roughed up. Something had happened. "I was in Cecily's room because of-"  
"The miscarriage, right?"  
Tessa nodded and whipped her eyes, which were tearing up. "She is still a little... shook up from it," she continued. "So, I stayed the night. Sophie and I have been taking turns because loosing a baby and ending a relationship are very hard things to do so close together. And, this morning I went back to my room to get into normal clothing. When I made my way there, I felt something was wrong, I hadn't seen Will all morning." She took a sharp, shaky breath. "Our room was torn apart. Our bookshelves were thrown to the ground, the bed had been torn apart. Will is missing."   
As if perfect timing, a sudden scream echoed from across the hall. It seemed to come from Jem's room, but the noise was from a woman. It was Linette. She rushed out of the boys room and grabbed Tessa by the shoulder. Although the older woman was yelling in Welsh, they both understood. Jem had collapsed.   
Of course he had. Parabatai were stronger together, and Jem needed all the strength that Will could give him. And Will was gone. As soon as they were separated, Jem would quickly go ill. His illness would last longer and Jem wouldn't be able to walk, or do anything normal, on his own.  
Tessa gripped onto her mother-in-law and hugged her close, while Charlotte went to the young ones room to find him wreathing on the floor. Blood he had coughed up was splattered across his shirt, and the newly waxed wooden floors. Will must have been too far away to catch if Jem was having this reaction. She went to his side as the boy did his best to breathe through the pain. "Where is your medicine, Jem?" she asked, rubbing his back slowly. He couldn't speak, but moved his eyes to point.   
Bedside table.   
She rushed and went through each drawer until the familiar box stood out. Grabbing the glass of water sitting on a coaster, she opened it up to pour the substance in, but stopped. There was barely anything. It was a dusting at the bottom. Charlotte could have sworn that she stacked him up on the Yin Fen right before they went to Wales. Where did it all go?  
That was a problem for another time. She poured what she could into the water and rushed into the boy. "Come on, drink," Charlotte whispered, hoisting Jem onto her shoulder so he wouldn't choke. While she sat there, nursing Jem on the floor while everyone was being told about Will, it hit her. It hit her that she had so much that she could loose.  
Her husband, Charles, all of the others in the Institute. They could all loose each other in the snap of Mortmain's fingers. And now, she had already lost one of them and another was dying.   
Good god.


	12. Yin Fen

"Nothing," Henry announced as he joined the group in the library. A groan came from everyone. "The London pack is draining out every den in the country faster than a wine cellar at a bachelorette party." Charlotte's heart sank. In only a matter of days, all the dens had been drained of their Yin Fen. The group had been putting in effort to find the drug, or any way to replace it without hurting the poor boy. And Magnus, who had been outed at Jem's partner, had been spending both days and nights at the institute trying to help the best he could.   
"There's no use," Gabriel said and leaned against the solid mahogany desk. "Mortmain has unlimited power and money. He can get anything he wants, he probably already has people out of country wrapped around his finger. There is honestly no way to get around this. We have to figure out a way to permanently solve this problem, or else we'll never find Will."  
Cecily sat up in her chair. "So, what are you suggesting, Mr. Lightwood?"  
"Stop searching for the drugs. Start looking for Will. Your brother has information that Mortmain can use against us. And Jem is going to die soon anyways. It's time to start accepting the inevitable."  
"You want us to just let him die?" Cecily exclaimed, bolting up in his seat. She rushed all the way up to the older boy and slapped his right across the face. He would hate to admit it, but it actually hurt really bad. Cecily is a very strong girl. "Listen here, Lightwood. You would have been on the streets if it wasn't for Charlotte letting you in after your dad died. You would have died if it wasn't for my brother saving your life after the attack. And you would have been lonely if it wasn't for Jem trying to get others to actually try and be your friends. So, don't you dare say anything like that again or I swear to god-"  
Before she could finish, the library door swung open to Magnus and Ragnor Fell. Both of them looked unbelievably tired, with their hair knotted up and their clothes a couple of days old. But they seemed to be more than excited. "We found a way to save Jem!" Magnus yelled. "We went through one of late friends spell books and we found a way. But there is a tiny problem to it..." The group looked at them, waiting.   
"We need to use Tessa. And we need to summon my dad."  
__________  
The last thing that Will could remember fully was the bookcase in his room hitting the ground. And then the world went dark. Over the past couple of, what seemed like, hours, he had been in and out of conciseness. At one point, he been on the floor of a fairly nice carriage. Another time, he was being drug along what felt like rocks. And now, he was lying on a rather soft bed. He must have been there for a while because the past couple of times when he woke up, that's what he felt.   
Strangely, whenever he woke up before, a bittersweet smell would fill his senses and the world would spin. But, this time, it didn't happen. Will stretched out his arm to a vast, empty bed. Odd. Tessa must have gotten up to get a drink or take a bath. Yet, when he opened his eyes, nothing looked like the familiar bedroom. The blanket was a light blue, unlike the lilac covers of the Institute. The walls of this new room were made of rock or concrete. He was definitely not his room.  
"Good evening, Mr. Herondale," a voice said, causing Will to jump. It was Mortmain, sitting in an overstuffed velvet chair in the corner. "Took a while for the chloroform to wear off, but I'm glad you're awake now." Will tried to get up from the bed, to attack the horrible man, but he quickly fell to the ground. A harsh chain around his right ankle stopped him, though. "Sorry about that silly thing," the older man said, noticing as he winced in pain. "I would have gone with something less harsh, but your presence wasn't expected.   
Will pulled against the metal again, but still no budge. It was bolted and welded onto the bed frame. "You were expecting Tessa, weren't you?" Will asked, though it was more of a statement. The room had obviously been tailored for Tessa. Her favorite colours were everywhere and dresses hung from the dresser. "I mean, unless you were wanting me to cross dress."   
"Yes, we were going for Tessa," Mortmain sighed, obviously upset. "But those stupid werewolves couldn't seem to follow simple directions. So, they grabbed you instead of her. Useless, I tell you. Useless." Mortmain was getting obviously worked up just by thinking about it. The man's leg as tabbing vigorously against the floor and his face was flushed. "But, I am a flexible man. Your friends care for you enough to go wherever you go. Love blinds them."  
"And pride blinds you."   
Mortmain looked Will straight into the eyes. "Nothing blinds me," he snarled. "I have lived longer than you and your parents. I have seen things you couldn't imagine. There are eyes on the back of my head. You believe that emotions blind me because that what happens to ever "stupid human". Silly boy. Do not count on me having everyday flaws." He stood up and went over to the bed, grabbing Will by the jaw. "Flaws are for weak men. And I am not weak, I am going to make the world burn." With that, he left the room  
___________  
Gabriel stumbled his way into the kitchen in a drunken haze. Just one more bottle, and then he will be done. Just a little more to forget. It hurt, the knowledge that he had lost his child. It hurt so bad. Grabbing the largest bottle of brandy in the cupboard, he turned and almost immediately slammed into Tessa. (This poor girl, she's running into everybody) She, too, looked heavily intoxicated and kind of out of it.   
"Sorry 'bout that," she sighed, leaning against the countertop. "Was just trying to get a drink - which you seemed to beat me to." She waved a hand towards the bottle. "That's actually what I wanted." Tessa laughed. "Mind if I join you?" Gabriel thought for a minute before nodding. Maybe being with someone wouldn't be so bad.   
The two made their way to Gabriel's bedroom before plopping down on his bed. The night was quite lovely for them both being heavily intoxicated. "It's only been a few days," Tessa whined, downing the rest of the bitter drink. "And I'm already feeling lonely. I hate waking up and not having another person in bed with me." Gabriel hummed in agreement. When you become so used to not being alone, it's weird when you are. "I wish I wasn't waking up alone."   
Before his mind could process what he was doing, Gabriel leaned in and gently placed his lips against the girls. They were so soft and plump. Tessa stiffened up at first, not expecting the experience, but she quickly leaned in. Running her fingers through his hair, she pulled him forward until they fell back onto the bed. This was wrong, they both knew it. But, both of them being so drunk and out of it, they didn't care. All Tessa cared about was getting the older man out of his clothes.   
With shaky hands, Tessa was able to unbutton his shirt and slide it over his shoulders. His body, covered in scars and runes, was different from her husbands. Will was lean, toned muscles. But Gabriel, he was bulky muscle, big enough to be so but still lean. Tessa leaned forward and kissed him once again. "Anything we do in here stays, okay?" she slurred, still heavily drunk.   
Gabriel rolled his eyes, trancing his finger over the collar of her dress, and winked at her. "Yes, ma'am."


	13. 9 Months Later

“So, what are you going to name her?” Charlotte asked, handing Tessa her newborn daughter. She was so small, of course she was. The baby came a whole month early. Must be a shadowhunter thing as Charles was an early baby too. And just like him, her baby was beautiful and unbelievibly chubby.   
“Her name is Eliah Lucy Herondale.”  
Charlotte smiled as she pulled the blanket over the young girl. “Eliah,” she said to herself. “Ellie. Beautiful name choice. Will would love it.” That last sentence it a spot in Tessa’s heart, but she simply pushed it aside. Tessa hummed in agreement. She kept her eyes on the baby as the door opened. In came Sophie, Gideon, Gabriel, Henry, and Charles. Sadly, Linette and Edmund had left as soon as Will went missing. They couldn’t take the idea of losing another child.   
“Boy or girl?” Cecily asked excitedly. But she knew as soon as she got up close. It was the most beautiful little girl in the whole world. It was also the fattest little baby she had ever seen. “Oh my lord, Tessa! She looks just like you,” Cecily cooed, stroking the baby’s cheek.   
Tessa looked up and make eye contact with Gabriel first. They didn’t need to say anything, they both knew what the other was thinking. Gabriel put his hand of Cecily’s shoulder and whispered something into her ear, kissing her cheek as he pulled away. They had been working on the relationship. It was rough after losing their first. Tessa quickly looked away and saw a small little ginger in the cutest little suit. He didn’t have his jacket on, though, so you got to see his suspenders.   
“Hey Charlie,” Tessa said, reaching out her hand. He knew what this meant and crawled into her free arm, looking at the new addition of the family. He, himself, was a very small child. He got it from his mother,but he looked huge next to the baby. “Go and meet your new little sister,” Henry whispered.  
That made Tessa’s heart flutter. Little sister. They were that close. And Charles, being a very intelligent 1 year old, leaned in and gave Eliah the smallest peck on her nose. But he quickly leaned away again and buried his head into Tessa’ s shoulder, shyly. “I don’t think he likes her,” Tessa laughed.  
Everyone took their turns holding the baby, Cecily having the most fun. She would coo and talk about how she wanted kids of her own. And it hurt Tessa so much to watch, she could see it in Gabriel’s eyes too. “She’s just the most beautiful,” Cecily said, giving Eliah back to Tessa. “She looks nothing like her dad though. Maybe Ellie will grow into it.” Giving the baby one last kiss before walking out with the rest of the group. Gabriel stayed behind, claiming he needed to ask for some advice, and waited until the door closed to talk.   
“They’ll find out eventually,” Gabriel told her, sitting on the end of the bed.   
“Wow. Optimistic much?”  
“Will and I look nothing alike. She could grow up and look like me.”   
“We’ll just deal with it then, okay? I don’t want to think about stressful topics such as that. But, for now, lets just enjoy how precious she is.”   
Gabriel sighed and eyed the baby carefully. It was like she was a dangerous new object he didn’t understand, which made Tessa nearly laugh. “We make pretty cute kids,” he laughed. She couldn’t help but agree. They did make a cute kid together. “Eliah? Not the name I would have gone for. Why Eliah?” Tessa shrugged. He wouldn’t understand that it was from the book she read on their wedding night. He wouldn’t see why that meant so much to her.   
Sighing, Gabriel leaned over and kissed the baby on the forehead. He wanted to cry. This was his daughter and no one else was going to know. Was she going to know? Probably not. “What do you want me to do? For you and for her?” he asked. “I’ll do anything.” He wasn’t going to just leave them. There was something that he could do for them. But he was shocked when Tessa laughed.   
“You don’t need to do anything,” she whispered to him lovingly. “I only want for you to be the best uncle to her that you can be. Nothing more and nothing less.” She didn’t want to make him deal with a child that he didn’t want. And she didn’t need him to help provide. She could deal with the baby until Will got back. Then she would force her husband to take care of the baby so that she can sleep as much as she wants.   
Gabriel didn’t seem to be very happy with that response. He could be doing something.  
_______________________

The world was going dark and Will’s lungs were starting to burn when he was finally pulled back to the surface for air. Another harsh slap was landed across his face. Yep, that woke him up. This process had been going on for hours. One Of those stupid robots that looked like a turnip would hold his head in a bucket of water and hold him there until he was about to pass out. Then he would be pulled back up and Mortmain would slap him. In another moment, Will might have made a joke of it being “kinky”. But he was just too exhausted.   
“Ready to talk?” Mortmain asked, pushing a damp lock of hair from his face. But Will only spit out onto the man's shoe. He could do this all day. “Wow, dedication. But remember that I will let you see them again once you give me the information that I need.” God, it would be nice to see them again. It had been months. Will was starting to forget what their voices sounded like. He could remember the slight accent in Jem’s voice, but that was about it.   
“Tessa can’t carry on much longer without you either,” the older man continued. “Single moms don’t get much sleep. And your daughter is a loud baby.” It took a while for those words to sink in. He had a daughter. But Tessa hadn’t been pregnant when he left. How long had he been gone? “Eliah Lucy. Book characters you both love, I believe.”   
Will smiled uncontrollably. He had a daughter. “William,” Mortmain whispered to him. On most occasions he would get mad at someone calling him by his full name, but not now. “All I need you to do is tell me a few things, answer a few questions. And then, I swear, you can see them again.” He couldn’t. He couldn’t tell him. But he couldn’t make Tessa raise kids by herself. They were going to move to Wales and be near his family.   
“You swear?” he huffed, and was met with a nod.   
“Well, unlock me and I’ll tell you what you need to know.”  
He better not regret this.


	14. Asmodeus

“So, what is that going to do to Tessa?” Charlotte asked, following Magnus into the kitchen. “What will happen to Jem?” Magnus wanted to groan and throw her out a window, she had been asking questions all day, but he just stayed quiet. She was stressed and she didn’t understand this type of magic. And, to be honest, he didn’t really understand either.   
“We’ll summon my dad,” he explained as calmly as he could for this situation. “He will have to do what we ask, so don’t worry. The plan is to take Tessa’s magic and immortality and use that to save Jem. He will sadly become immortal in the process and her powers will be taken away. She is going to age like the rest of us.” That was the best Magnus could explain it. Ragnor understood it more than he did, so maybe she should ask him.  
This didn’t seem to calm down Charlotte at all. She made a small whining noise before burying her face in her hands. Maybe it would have been best for her to stay at the Institute. The spell was going to happen at Magnus’s house, and the smaller woman had insisted to come along. Cecily also came with her, saying she needed to be with her “brother” and “sister”. He didn’t mind the younger as she was keeping an eye on Jem while they got ready. Maybe she was freaking out too, but didn’t show it.  
“You know you can leave, right?” Magnus told her. “You don’t need to stay and watch.” But Charlotte shook her head. No, she was going to stay, no matter how nervous she was. Henry and the rest were holding down fort at home, so they didn’t need her there. She could stay with Jem and Tessa during and after the whole process. “Okay then. You’ll have to stay in the room next to ours. You’ll be with Cecily the whole time.”   
Setting up the ritual was quicker than normal. With most, something special like a protection room was needed. With this spell, they didn’t need to use protection against the demon. They needed him to be able to use his magic outside of the circle. So, Magnus called for Charlotte and Cecily to go into the side room not long after his conversation with Charlotte. Right before he closed the door, he slipped Tessa’s angel necklace into Cecily’s hand. The other woman must not have wanted to risk it getting hurt during the spell. So, Cecily put it around her neck and synced her breathing to the light ticking of the machine.   
In the other room, Tessa sat on the floor with a barely conscious Jem in her lap. It was a miracle that he had lasted all of these months. They had all been scraping together all the Yin Fen they could find, anything from dustings to tiny bags that had been pickpocketed out of the pockets of werewolves. Jem was pale and frail, wheezing lightly with every shallow breath he took. This spell better work.   
Tessa didn’t even pay attention as Magnus and Ragnor began. They chanted in unison while using a throaty language To be honest, she was terrified about what was going to happen to both of them. How was Jem going to live a life without an illness he was so used to controlling him? And what was going to happen to her and Will when Mortmain finds out about her no longer having powers? But, just like everything else happening to her, she would just have to wait and see.   
The air in the room went thick and Tessa’s ears started to pop as if she was deep under water. Candle flames grew in size, wind blew from nowhere, and the circle gave a dark glow. The spell was working, obviously. With one more flare in the theatrics, a large being with blood red skin and a large tail came from the ground. It was terrifying just to look at, and it seemed to know how scary it was.   
“This better be important, Magnus,” the demon’s voice growled, booming throughout the room. “You uncles are having to deal with all these werewolves dying. It’s stressful, so they’re making me run everything else.” Ragnor stepped forward, acting as a wall between father and son. He knew how they could get towards each other. “We did not summon you to complain,” Ragnor snapped and pointed his finger to the shadowhunter in Tessa’s arms. “We summoned you to heal him through her. You don’t need anything to do this, I’ve done this spell before.”  
The demon looked over at the two with his “eyes”. They looked more like empty holes in his head. Could it even see? “What is wrong with the boy?” it asked. “Yin Fen addiction?” Tessa nodded, but hated the way it was worded. Addiction made it sound like he had chosen to start using it. The demon took a step forward, still within the large circle, and looked closely. “You should have summoned me sooner, Magnus. This boy is on death's doorstep.”  
Ragnor rolled his eyes and walked around the circle to be back in the eyesight of the large… thing. “We had an unplanned pregnancy,” the warlock explained, clearly annoyed. He must have some balls to talk to a demon like this. “So, we couldn’t go through with this until now Are you going to help us, Asmodeus? Or do you not have the power to do so? I summoned one of your brothers last time I needed this favor.” Questioning the power of a greater demon was a stupid thing to do unless you had a death wish.  
Asmodeus glared at the warlock before turning back to the two others. “Yes, I can do this,” the demon snarled. “Bring him to me.” Tessa did as told and walked into the circle as Magnus had told her to do earlier. He had told her many things: you have to go into the circle, you have to expect for it to be painful, do everything that is asked of you, and you can’t show fear. “Give me your hand,” Asmodeus demanded, and she did as told. It burned and she wanted to scream, but held it in. She was going to do this, no matter how much it hurt, because she loved Jem enough.   
______________  
“Look Charles, it’s Uncle Jem,” Charlotte said to her son, picking him up to look at the older man. It was probably confusing for the younger to see someone with a different hair colour and eye colour and assume they were the same person. Children weren’t really good at recognizing people. And Jem looked nothing like what he used to earlier that day. His hair had turned back to its natural black colour and his eyes were a dark brown. His skin had turned tan instead of the ill pale it used to be.   
“Jem,” he squealed out, repeating what his mother said earlier before stretching his arms out to be picked up by the man. Jem of course, picked the little boy up and rested him on his hip. “Hey, Charlie,” he whispered and bounced him up and down. The rest of the afternoon was everyone oh and awing over Jem’s transformation. Tessa, of course, wasn’t feeling good after having the immortality ripped out of her. So, she was staying with Magnus and Ragnor so that they could take care of her.   
Charles was unsupervised the whole time. He had fallen down a couple of stairs, but Henry had luckily been there almost every time to make sure that his son wasn’t dying. And now the infant was crawling around the lower floor. After weaving through the chairs of the dining room, he was right next to the front doors. The intricate designs that had been carved onto the wood door had caught the fancy of the little kid. It was similar to the design in the ceiling, which he looked at every night. He went forward to touch it, crawling slowly to the door. Once his finger went into the deep ridges, the doors swung open and knocked the young child back.   
Mortmain, surrounded by dozens of his metal beasts, walked into the institute. Charles caught the eye of the older man and he went forward, just like the baby did with the door, and picked up the baby. “Hello, little one,” he cooed, brushing his long, curly red hair out of his face. “Do you know where mommy and daddy are?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who has EOC's and Finals (which are separate for some reason) for the next like month? This guy... gal... person. IDEK. Anyways, I am so overworked. Sorry that the last part of this chapter turned into shit, but oh well. Only a few more chapters and then this is done completely.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of many chapters. It's no the best in the world, but I am improving. I hope you liked the first chapter of "Cornflower".  
> Edit: Sorry that this is like super short. I was afraid of going over. The next chapter will probably be a lot longer.


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